The Vancouver & District Area Council convened a special meeting to deal with the TB Term Policy. The meeting was well attended by Local Presidents, union activists, terms, and Regional and National Officers.
Together participants identified what needs to happen to advance the issue of fair implementation of the term policy:
What terms can do:
- Educate yourselves: get to know your representatives
- Know the Term policy
- Become active in the union – without fear
- Get in the communication loop in your Local
- Learn about your rights - take union courses
- Talk to Union reps and demand that they bring their case forward to the transitional ‘non-renewal’ committee if they are let go near three years
- Obtain and read the collective agreement
- Get together with other terms / ask for a Term Rep on the Local executive
- Have group meetings
- File grievances
- Apply on all boards / developmental assignments
What the Local should be doing:
- Coordinate and file grievances
- Provide all actions of management to Regional Vice-Presidents
- Write MP’s
- Support Terms – make efforts to disseminate info re: non-renewal of terms.
- Monitor how the implementation may effect employment equity in the local
- Push management through UMCC’s to provide timelines for complying with the policy
- Demand management provide Local Executive with a complete list of all terms, their current length of service and the date upon which they will be made indeterminate
- Conduct workplace information campaign - make sure members know the policy and their rights
- Terms may not be aware that they can become active members of the Local - seek them out and recruit them
- Call meetings of Term members
- Ensure terms or members in good standing - sign them up (membership drive)
- Establish joint delivery sessions on term policy (perhaps through JLP)
- Use other examples (departments) to encourage their managers
- Locals must make this a priority @ meetings with members
- Include a piece on the term policy during new member orientation sessions
- Include Term Reps on Local executive (change the by-laws)
- Advertise grievance wording for terms
The role of Regional and National Officers:
- Demand Dept. Heads / Treasury Board divuldge the funding formulas and demand the surplus be used to change the
- formula and give more for staffing indeterminates
- Watch HR modernization, reform announcements
- Lobby MPs for fair implementation
- Track all grievances
- Contact all Locals – connect with members not just Presidents
- Issue press statements
- Attend Area Council meetings
- Develop term campaign materials
- Create Database for tracking implementation dates
- Take term employees issues seriously – make it a priority
- Make sure info on non-renewal committee on website
- Ensure review committees are in place immediately
- Should be accountable to the Locals
- Keep Locals and membership informed – speak at Local meetings
- Provide bulletins to Locals
Term Policy -Statement of Grievance
I grieve that the employer has not renewed my term and that my employment as a term employee in the Federal Government has ceased as of (INSERT DATE)
Corrective action requested
That the employer honour the recommendations put forth by the joint study on the use of term employees in the federal government.
That the employer renew my term as of (INSERT LENGTH OF TERM) (without a break in service)
Or that the letter of termination be withdrawn and that I continue to be employed by the federal government.
That a priority list on a long term term be created and that I be placed on this list
That I be placed in either the same position or a similar position at the same group and level without loss of benefits or pay.
Or that I be placed in a vacant position within the department until the term policy is finalized and I receive my indeterminate status.
Or that the employer give me indeterminate status prior to the policy being finalized as recommended by Treasury Board
That I be made whole
Download the term policy grievance as a word .doc.