Union meets with Service Canada over federal budget issues

The recently announced federal budget contains changes to Employment Insurance (EI) that will have an impact on the CEIU members delivering the program. In response, CEIU met with senior management figures to discuss the effects of these changes on members who are already struggling with rapidly escalating work loads.

“We recognize the pressures on management in light of the budget and the climbing work load” said National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay, “but those pressures end up on the desks of our members and we need solutions that make sense for staff and the public we serve. We need support systems and staffing plans to deal with these problems and must not rely on continuous overtime that simply burns people out.” She went on to say that along with backlogs in claims processing comes a higher number of desperate claimants whose frustration can sometimes lead to abusive behaviour: “Dealing with irate claimants is extremely unpleasant no matter how much you may sympathize with their situation. It’s all the more reason to find an effective solution to these backlogs as quickly as possible.”

CEIU will meet regularly with management to review the progress of efforts to deal with the challenges facing Service Canada. Locals are asked to pass along members’ concerns and suggestions to the National Vice-President(s) for their region who will in turn keep the union’s national office informed.