Phoenix Pay System

Phoenix has caused hundreds of thousands of pay errors, leaving tens of thousands of Canadian public servants underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all.

Public servants – like all Canadians – deserve to be paid accurately and on time. That’s why replacing Phoenix with a system that works can’t happen soon enough.

We’re proud that we pushed the government to see that Phoenix must be replaced. We’ve insisted that unions like ours must be consulted on the work to find the replacement. The work to replace Phoenix is now underway, but public service employees continue to deal with serious personal consequences.

PIPSC is fighting for you.

I have an ongoing pay issue and don’t know what to do.

I have out-of-pocket expenses or am seeking compensation for damage done by Phoenix.

Information for former PIPSC members and retired members.

Phoenix Compensation Agreement - FAQs

Recovery process for Phoenix overpayments - FAQs

Updates

14 March 2018

Important news regarding the recovery of overpayments, Emergency Salary Advances (ESAs) and priority payments for members affected by Phoenix

Following tremendous pressure on the part of public service bargaining agents, the government has finally introduced some much-needed flexibility in the recovery of overpayments caused by Phoenix.

9 March 2018

Important information about Vacation and Compensatory Leave Cash Out for the years 2018 and 2019

Fellow members of the AV,CS,NR, RE, SH and SP Groups: Your respective collective agreements stipulate that vacation and compensatory leave earned during the previous fiscal year and outstanding on a certain date (most commonly March 31st) is to be automatically cashed-out.

28 February 2018

Federal budget includes a glimmer of hope on Phoenix

I am pleased to report that yesterday’s federal Budget committed $16M towards the building of an alternative pay system to replace the disastrous Phoenix.

27 February 2018

Government updates information on financial claims linked to Phoenix

With “tax season” fast approaching, the government has recently updated the information available online regarding three types of financial claims linked to the Phoenix pay system: requesting an advance for government benefits; reimbursement for tax advice; and claims for out-of-pocket expenses.

20 February 2018

President Daviau delivers strong message on Phoenix to Cabinet Ministers tasked with fixing Phoenix

Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.

16 February 2018

Ongoing Phoenix pay issues

While work to replace Phoenix with the NextGen HR-to-Pay system is underway, you may still be dealing with pay errors. Take steps now to ensure your case is addressed:

12 February 2018

PIPSC Representatives Meet with Senate Leaders on Phoenix

On February 7, 2018, PIPSC Vice-President Stéphane Aubry and Special Advisor to the President Emily Watkins testified before the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance about the Phoenix pay system’s impact on Institute members.

1 February 2018

Letter to Minister Brison about Phoenix overpayments

I recently wrote to Treasury Board President Scott Brison to express my frustration at being informed that the government is very likely not going to be able to process overpayment claims reported by the January 19, 2018 deadline.

26 January 2018

Message to Government on Phoenix: Time to pay up!

As we approach the two-year anniversary of the introduction of the Phoenix pay system, PIPSC members are still facing mounting pay problems – and they’ve had enough. The time has come for the government to compensate employees for the hardship this system has put our members through.

12 January 2018

Phoenix: Problems with Reporting Overpayments?

It has come to our attention that many of you who are trying to report overpayments by the January 19, 2018 deadline cannot get through to Contact Centre staff because of busy signals or being put on hold for extended periods.

3 January 2018

Important! Register Overpayments Caused by Phoenix by January 19, 2018

With the 2017 tax season almost here, overpayment situations caused by the Phoenix system can become particularly stressful for government employees. Pressed by public service bargaining agents, the government has taken a number of steps to ensure public servants are not out-of-pocket as a result of an overpayment.

28 November 2017

Transfer of RCMP Civilian Employees to Phoenix Pay System Put “Indefinitely” On Hold

PIPSC is applauding a decision by the federal government to put the transfer of RCMP civilian employees to the Phoenix pay system “indefinitely” on hold.

24 November 2017

Don’t Blame Bargaining for Phoenix Failures

Earlier this month, PSPC Minister Carla Qualtrough asked me if I would be willing to negotiate simplifying some of the pay rules bargained over decades that, some claim, contribute to the dysfunction of the federal pay system.

21 November 2017

Phoenix Needs to Be Replaced

Today’s report by Auditor General Michael Ferguson on the problems with the troubled Phoenix pay system provides further evidence to support our argument that Phoenix is beyond fixing and sh

16 November 2017

"CTV Power Play with Don Martin - Time to throw out Phoenix? Interview with Debi Daviau on November 14, 2017"

14 November 2017

Press Release: Forget Phoenix. Let’s build a new federal pay system that works, says PIPSC President Debi Daviau

The Phoenix pay system needs to be replaced with a new system that works built by the government's own IT professionals, says the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents over 50,000 federal government employees.

10 November 2017

PIPSC President Debi Daviau to Issue Statement on Phoenix, the Federal Government’s Troubled Pay System

Attention News/Assignment Editors: Media Advisory For immediate release PIPSC President Debi Daviau to Issue Statement on Phoenix, the Federal Government’s Troubled Pay System

3 November 2017

Phoenix and the status of retroactive pay

We have received several inquiries about the impact of the Phoenix pay system on retroactive pay for members who signed new collective agreements this year.

27 October 2017

Senate Plan to Withdraw from Phoenix Adds Insult to Injury, says PIPSC

The Senate of Canada is investigating abandoning the Phoenix pay system and moving to its own payroll system.

18 October 2017

Press Release - Public Service Employees Rally in Vancouver to Fix Phoenix

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Public Service Employees Rally in Vancouver to Fix Phoenix

17 October 2017

Media Advisory - Public Service Employees Rally to Fix Broken Pay System!

Attention News/Assignment Editors MEDIA ADVISORY (Photo Opportunity) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12 October 2017

Press Release - Federal Employees Rally to Tell Justin Trudeau to Fix Phoenix and Pay Damages

12 October 2017, Ottawa — Hundreds of public service workers are holding a rally at 12:30 pm today in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office to send a clear message to the Liberal government: Enough is enough!

11 October 2017

Media Advisory: Workers to hold rally in front of Prime Minister’s Office over Phoenix

11 October 2017, Ottawa — Public service workers will be holding a rally in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office on October 12 to tell the Liberal government that: Enough is enough! Fix Phoenix now and pay damages to workers!

6 October 2017

Words to Live By

Radio-Canada and the CBC have reported this week that Phoenix was “doomed from the start.” The reason? The business case prepared in 2009 under the previous government “lacked proper risk analysis and was politically motivated.” In the words of former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, “You look at this business case, you can drive trucks through some of the holes under the risk analysis.”

3 October 2017

PSPC releases latest Pay Bulletin

In light of the Phoenix fiasco and as part of a commitment made to bargaining agents to make it easier for their members to obtain information about their pay, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSCPC) has just released its Pay Bulletin for September.

2 October 2017

Institute files two new policy grievances over Phoenix

The Institute has just filed two new policy grievances on Phoenix-related issues, accusing the Treasury Board of failing to implement the terms of the AV and SP Group collective agreements within the specified timeframe (120 and 90 days respectively).

29 September 2017

The Phoenix Pay System’s Not-So-Golden Handshake

While much has been reported about the impact of the Phoenix pay system on current federal employees, comparatively little has been said about the harm done to retirees.

26 September 2017

Bargaining agents band together to press the government on Phoenix damages

At the request of the Union-Management Consultation Committee (UMCC), the Professional Institute, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Association of Justice Counsel and the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers have formed a Sub-Committee to develop a framework for the payme

1 September 2017

Press Release - Labour Day 2017: Labouring to Fix Phoenix

For Immediate Release Labour Day 2017: Labouring to Fix Phoenix

23 August 2017

The dog days of summer -- and Phoenix

Summer may be coming to an end but the problems with Phoenix continue to plague public servants. Although it would be overly optimistic to suggest a fix is imminent, we are seeing some progress.

21 August 2017

V.P. Aubry’s InfoCapsule: Phoenix

Problems caused by the Phoenix pay system debacle persist this summer. Here is a brief account of the situation.

21 July 2017

Fixing Phoenix

Recently, I sent an opinion piece to the Globe and Mail about our members’ ongoing problems with the Phoenix pay system and what I consider to be one of the root causes of the debacle: outsourcing.

17 July 2017

"When the public service is outsourced, Canadians suffer" published in the Globe and Mail on July 14, 2017

While the current government has been right to criticize the last one for laying off hundreds of compensation staff before it rolled out Phoenix, it’s the decisions around outsourcing such projects in the first place that demand a rethink.

13 July 2017

CSs to the Rescue on Phoenix

I am pleased to report that our initiative to recruit and train CSs to work on Phoenix is making good progress. I made a strong case for building the government’s in-house capacity at my recent meeting with the Cabinet Committee of Ministers tasked with fixing the beleaguered Phoenix pay system.

29 June 2017

President Daviau meets with Cabinet Ministers tasked with fixing Phoenix

Last week I was invited to speak with the cabinet-level working group on Phoenix to discuss potential solutions to the Phoenix pay system. I brought to them a number of problems and possible solutions to help fix the disastrous Phoenix pay system. Public servants are still facing hardship and ongoing problems and we all desperately want to see relief and a solution soon.

6 June 2017

On National Public Service Week, Let’s Fix Phoenix Once and For All

Next week, June 11-17, is National Public Service Week (NPSW). Since 1992 it’s been an occasion to recognize and celebrate the contributions Canada’s public service professionals make to society. The Professional Institute supports this celebration of our members’ accomplishments. In fact, we first proposed it.