In light of the recent and anticipated Work force Adjustment notifications, PIPSC encourages members to familiarize themselves with the options available to them under the collective agreement, including options to seek continued employment within the core public administration.
One option is alternation, which is a process where an opting employee, or a surplus employee, having chosen option A, the 12-month surplus priority period, and who wishes to remain in the core public administration, exchanges positions with a non-affected employee willing to leave the core public administration.
Members who hold incumbent-based positions, including members of the HR Classification at Library and Archives Canada (LAC), have raised important questions and concerns about how alternation works in the case of incumbent-based processes. LAC has taken the position that alternation is not possible unless the two positions are at the same level. This interpretation raises concerns where positions and classification levels are dependent on the experience of the incumbent themselves and the specific work they perform.
In response, PIPSC has filed a policy grievance challenging LAC's systematic refusal to grant alternation opportunities, particularly for historical researchers. Although this policy grievance specifically targets LAC, it concerns the interpretation and application of the WFA framework more generally.
PIPSC has taken the position that the use of the word "normally" in 6.3.7 is intended to provide flexibility on a case-by-case basis, allowing for discretionary decision-making. Per the Management Rights article of the relevant collective agreements, the employer must exercise their discretion in a way that is reasonable, fair, and in good faith.
Blanket statements refusing alternation solely based on classification level do not allow managers to exercise their discretion to assess alternation requests as required under 6.3. Instead, managers should use their discretion to consider alternation requests and evaluate qualifications with an open mind. Further, PIPSC’s position that blankets denials of alternation requests based on classification levels is contrary to the overarching intent of the WFA Appendix, which is to maximize continued employment for indeterminate employees.
PIPSC continues to monitor how departments are implementing WFA. We encourage opting employees who wish to remain employed in the core public administration to seek out appropriate alternation opportunities and propose them to the employer.
EROs in the PIPSC Regional Offices continue to be available to assess the employer’s response as necessary, including filing an individual grievance seeking recourse in response to a denied alternation request. Individual grievances that are filed will be placed in abeyance pending the outcome of the policy grievance, recognizing that policy grievances typically involve longer timelines.
For more information on WFA and the alternation process, please refer to our WFA FAQs.
Published on 23 January 2026