Union reviews issue of overtime work

The CEIU national executive met in a conference call on November 2 to revisit the issue of overtime work during the campaign against the Treasury Board’s offer to members. CEIU will no longer ask members to decline overtime opportunities but is requesting that they be prepared to work to rule as a part of strike activities.

The position on union-management consultation remains the same. The union is withdrawing from all consultation, excluding only safety and health issues and matters of exceptional importance to the members.

According to National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay, CEIU members had expressed a number of concerns about the overtime issue. From members who provide services such as employment insurance payments, there was worry over the fate of clients, especially with the coming Christmas period. Members also indicated the need to rebuild their personal finances in anticipation of the strike activity that would follow a rejection of the Treasury Board offer.

Meunier-McKay offered her thanks to the members who had observed the union’s earlier position on overtime and supported the bargaining team throughout the current round of bargaining.

With the revised approach in place, any request to decline overtime opportunities would be made only as part of strategic strike action initiated by the PSAC. “The members want a decent contract” said Meunier-McKay “and our approach will ensure that any restriction on overtime work is used as part of a focused strategy by the PSAC.”