Negotiations Update - Mainland Commissionaires
Published by Patricia August 22nd, 2008 in Bargaining, Bargaining Units / Employers, Commissionaires Tags: Temporarily disabled.The PSAC has applied for Conciliation on August 21, 2008.
At the last session with the BC Corps of Commissionaires held on July 7 and 8, 2008, the parties had tentatively agreed to continue negotiations on August 20 and 22, 2008. These dates were confirmed on August 2, 2008. However, the employer subsequently denied leave to a member of the bargaining team, preventing him to attend the meeting and these dates were cancelled.
These negotiations, for a first collective agreement, included two (2) bargaining units: approximately 40 Commissionaires performing work on behalf of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) at Library Square and the Vancouver International Airport and 8 Commissionaires performing work on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Seal Cove Coast Guard Base in Prince Rupert.
The application for Conciliation affects the CBSA unit only. The Seal Cove unit falls under different legislation. Therefore, the parties will now be negotiating the two (2) agreements separately.
A couple of months ago, the employer announced they had been notified by CBSA that their contract would end on March 31, 2009, and that a public bid would happen sometime this fall. The employer then imposed an arbitrary deadline for reaching an agreement with the Union. If a deal was in place by September 30th, the employer would be bidding on the work. If such a deal was not in place, the employer would not be bidding on the work. The Union is still hopeful that, with the assistance of a Conciliation Officer, an agreement is still possible.
We are currently in the process of scheduling membership meetings. More information will be provided at that time.