March 2012
Introduction
Employees of Industry Canada (IC), depending on the bargaining agent, are currently covered by workforce adjustment provisions contained in the National Joint Council (NJC) Workforce Adjustment Directive or collective agreement appendices. Each of these contains provisions for the establishment of Workforce Adjustment Committees, where appropriate, in order to assist in the management of workforce adjustment situations.
IC’s National Workforce Adjustment Committee was created with the commitment and support of senior management and bargaining agents to jointly promote the primary objectives of the Workforce Adjustment Directive and relevant collective agreement appendices, namely to maximize employment opportunities for indeterminate employees affected by workforce adjustment situations.
Objective
The purpose of IC’s Workforce Adjustment Committee is to share information and contribute to the effective management of workforce adjustment at IC. Specifically, the Workforce Adjustment Committee is a forum intended to:
- Inform bargaining agents on departmental workforce adjustment implementation strategies;
- Communicate employee concerns and employer plans relating to workforce adjustment;
- Share information on departmental progress relating to placement of affected and surplus employees;
- Promote a consistent approach to management of workforce adjustment across the department;
- Share best practices in order to support managers in the implementation of workforce adjustment plans and strategies;
- Identify and bring forward recommendations to senior departmental management for additional tools or resources for employees.
IC’s Workforce Adjustment Committee is meant to improve communication and sharing of information relating to workforce adjustment. It is not a forum for discussing individual and specific employee concerns/situations, nor is it a decision-making body.
The Deputy Minister is accountable for all workforce-related decisions, while individual managers up to and including Sector Heads are accountable for implementing these decisions according to the Workforce Adjustment appendices and directives.
Committee Membership
IC’s Workforce Adjustment Committee will be comprised of the following:
- Union representation from each of the department’s five bargaining agents, as determined by the bargaining agents.
- Note: As the two unions with the largest number of members at IC, both PIPSC and PSAC may have up to two members, while CAPE, ACFO and IBEW are each allotted one seat.
- Between three to five senior management representatives at the ADM or DG level
- HR representatives, as follows:
- Director General, Human Resources Branch
- Director, Strategic Human Resources Management Division
- Director, Labour Relations and Compensation
- Other subject matter experts as required
The Committee will be chaired by a senior management representative as identified by IC’s Deputy Minister.
Roles and Responsibilities
All members commit to respecting the confidentiality of information shared within the committee while recognizing the inherent responsibilities of both bargaining agents and management.
Committee Chair
- Call meetings and set agenda
- Facilitate discussion
- Bring concerns, information and recommendations to the departmental Management Committee on behalf of the WFA Committee
Union Representatives
- Attend meetings or identify alternate to attend when unavailable;
- Share information on overall employee concerns relating to the implementation of workforce adjustment at IC;
- Provide input and feedback to departmental workforce adjustment strategies and plans as required;
- Share best practices relating to the management of workforce adjustment situations;
- Contribute to the identification of recommendations for additional tools or resources
Senior Management Representatives
- Attend meetings or identify alternate to attend when unavailable;
- Share information on workforce adjustment implementation plans;
- Provide input and feedback to departmental workforce adjustment strategies and plans as required;
- Share best practices relating to the management of workforce adjustment situations;
- Contribute to the identification of recommendations for additional tools or resources.
HR Representatives
- Provide HR advice and expertise to the committee
- Share relevant workforce adjustment-related information provided to departments by central agencies
- Provide secretariat services to the committee including meeting logistics
- Note: as this is not a decision-making body, there will not be records of decisions. However, where appropriate, action items and/or summaries of discussions may be prepared for use by Committee members.
Frequency of Meetings
Meetings will be held on a monthly basis, but may occur more frequently as determined by management upon consultation with Committee members.
The committee shall continue to meet until the number of affected and/or surplus employees has been significantly reduced and management, after consultation with the Committee members, consider that there is no longer a need to continue monitoring the situation as appropriate strategies are in place.