While much of the country is experiencing a hotter than usual summer, things are also about to heat up at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency negotiations table.
Our CFIA bargaining team meets employer negotiators on August 7 and 8 in Ottawa for the sixth and latest round of contract talks. And we’re urging our Locals to send us visible support for their efforts to secure a fair and just new agreement.
So, between now and August 8, we’re asking you to take a photo of your members supporting their bargaining team and email it to us at AgrUnion@psac-afpc.com.
There’s a lot at stake in these latest negotiations. As a sign of good faith, our team has streamlined its list of proposals, prioritizing and focusing on key issues. However, while the employer has also dropped some proposals, a number of unacceptable demands for concessions remain on the table. These include roll-backs on contract clauses dealing with hours of work, definition of the work week and notice time for shift changes.
More insultingly, the CFIA negotiators has so far failed to provide a response to our wage package proposal even though they have had more than a month since the two sides last met to develop a counter offer.
The Agriculture Union and our bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, have made it clear to management that unless the Agency returns to the table with fair and reasonable counter proposals without concessions, we will be forced to declare a bargaining impasse and request that a Public Interest Commission issue a non-binding recommendation for a settlement.