November
25, 2005
New
deal brings federal jobs to the OPS OPSEU protects
existing members, welcomes new ones
An estimated 700
federal jobs will be transferred into the Ontario Public
Service under a new deal between Ontario and the federal
government. The Labour Market Development Agreement, signed
this week, will see some federal Employment Insurance (EI)
programs transferred to the Ontario Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities (MTCU) on Jan. 1, 2007. The programs
relate to apprenticeship, integration of recent immigrants,
literacy and essential skills, skills upgrading, aboriginal
peoples, and workers who face barriers to employment. These
programs are already provided provincially in most of Canada.
All programs will end up in the Labour Market and Training
Division of the MTCU. Under an agreement between the Ontario
government and OPSEU, federal employees will be covered by the
OPSEU collective agreement as soon as they come into the OPS.
They will not have to apply for their own jobs. Jobs will be
assigned to the closest possible OPS job classifications and
paid according to the OPSEU contract. Federal employees who
are placed into lower-paying jobs will have their salaries
“red-circled.” In the OPSEU bargaining unit, former federal
employees will have full recognition of their seniority, which
will be dovetailed with that of OPSEU members. Former federal
employees will have their job security guaranteed for three
years. Classified OPSEU members in the Labour Market and
Training Division will have the same guarantee. “I know that
OPSEU members in the OPS can appreciate the uncertainty that
federal employees are facing right now,” said Terry Baxter,
OPS Supervisor for OPSEU. “The agreement we’ve made assures
them of a smooth transition and protects current OPSEU members
at the same time.”
Still no news
on MoF transfer
The Ontario
government has made no new announcements about its plan to
have the Canada Revenue Agency take over Ontario’s corporate
tax system. First announced over a year ago, the proposed
transfer would affect hundreds of OPSEU members in the
Ministry of Finance. The union opposes the transfer. “Handing
over responsibility for corporate taxes to the feds will cost
Ontario money and reduce the province’s flexibility to manage
its own revenues,” said Terry Baxter. “The government still
hasn’t made a believeable business case.”
Original authorized for distribution by Leah Casselman, president.
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