The Public Service Alliance of Canada is applying for conciliation to the Minister of Labour to assign a federal conciliator to assist in reaching a tentative agreement for UCTE members working at NAV CANADA.

Our members have been without a collective agreement for 278 days. This is unacceptable, and our members deserve better.

After several negotiation meetings, and two rounds of mediation, the employer has failed to agree to key monetary issues affecting NAV CANADA workers. The mandate NAV CANADA provided to its negotiating team is insufficient to negotiate a tentative agreement.

Mediation efforts unsuccessful
PSAC’s bargaining team met with the employer for a second round of mediation September 25 to 27. Both parties were able to resolve some non-monetary issues, but reached an impasse on monetary issues such as:

economic wage scale
premiums
overtime
allowances
acting pay
hours of work, and
retroactivity
These monetary issues represent areas where our members do not have the same terms and conditions as all other NAV CANADA workers. We are simply asking for parity. PSAC members deserve the same benefits and monetary increases that other unionized employees at NAV CANADA have already negotiated and received.

In applying for conciliation, PSAC hopes the employer will come back to the table with an improved mandate to reach a tentative agreement for our members.

What is conciliation?
When a union and an employer are having difficulty reaching a tentative agreement, and have reached an impasse on key issues, the Minister of Labour may assign a conciliation officer to assist in the collective bargaining process.

While mediation and conciliation are similar in that they involve an impartial third party to assist in negotiations, they use different strategies. While a mediator guides the two parties to come to their own solutions, a conciliator may actively participate in negotiations by offering solutions to both sides.

Once the Ministry of Labour receives PSAC’s application, it has approximately 14 days to appoint a conciliator. The conciliation process can take up to 60 days, unless both parties agree to an extension.

Once a conciliator has been appointed and dates scheduled, our negotiating team will advise members of the details.

Thank you for your support as we continue to negotiate a fair and acceptable collective agreement.