AFS Collective Agreement Implementation Update
Dear AFS Members,
On September 23rd, we signed a tentative agreement with CRA for a new collective agreement for the December 22, 2014 to December 21, 2018 period. We then provided information sessions and completed our ratification process on December 20th. Previously, we could have then signed our new collective agreement immediately. Unfortunately, the prior federal government amended legislation to require that CRA collective agreements now have to be ratified by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).
We have made several requests for a signing date indicating that we want to complete this as soon as possible and that we would accept any date proposed. The signing is important as it starts the clock on the 150 day period to implement new pay rates and make retroactive pay adjustments. The date of signing also brings into effect the numerous other improvements negotiated in our new collective agreement.
CRA has indicated that everything they need to do has been done and that everything that needs to be sent to TBS has been sent to TBS. We are all waiting for TBS.
Our last pay raise was in 2013 and our AFS members are losing their patience. Enough is enough. TBS needs to ratify now and the federal government can solve this problem for the future by reversing the legislative changes brought in by the prior government to require TBS to ratify CRA collective agreements.
Some of our AFS members have already contacted their MPs to express their concerns about getting this contract signed. This may be helpful in influencing those who can make a difference.
Thanks to our members for their support through this long process and we will share any further news on our contract implementation as it becomes available.
In solidarity,
Doug Mason,
AFS President
On behalf of your AFS Negotiation Team