The union team declared an impasse during talks on September 26 and 27 given the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) refusal to address our key demands and its stubbornness in extracting concessions from us.

Our priorities for this round of negotiations have not changed:

• equal pay as all law enforcement personnel;
• job security and new protections against excessive disciplinary action;
• the right to telework;
• new rights regarding AHPV and scheduling.

The employer didn’t want to hear anything.

We also repeated it several times at the table: If the employer really wants to reach a fair agreement, the President of the Treasury Board must honor the commitment made in the last round of negotiations and make an offer to our members There probability of a Early retirement without penalty after 25 years of service.

We pushed for our members to be entitled to the same economic benefits as personnel of other security agencies in the country. Our goal: to solve recruitment and retention issues at the CBSA.

When discussing salaries and benefits, the employer had the audacity to claim that these issues did not exist. However, the lack of personnel and resources identified among all members of the FB group proves the opposite.

The public safety personnel on the Treasury Board representing the PSAC (probation officers, fisheries officers, police officers, wildlife officers) received additional salary adjustments earlier this year, but members of the FB group will have to settle for less.

The employer also continues to demand concessions in reducing our remuneration, our carer’s leave and the notice period for changing jobs and would like to change the negotiated shift schedules to the detriment of our members.

We want to gain and not lose

The negotiating team is committed to reaching a fair and equitable agreement that maintains our hard-won gains and provides new rights and protections for PSAC-SDI members. We deserve respect.

We were tired of the lack of progress at the table. So we declared a shutdown and contacted the federal Public Sector Labor Relations and Employment Commission in hopes of getting things started.

Next Steps

We will keep you updated on new developments. As always, your support is critical to our success at the table.

So that you don’t miss anything, make sure your contact details are up to date. If you have questions, please contact the Executive Board from your SDI branch or consult the PSAC or SDI.