Recently on the news, we have heard about CRA eliminating 600 term positions by end of 2024. Or even how IRCC is stopping the clock on the automatic term rollovers to indeterminate after 3 years of service. You may have heard many articles about federal departments no longer hiring and are looking to (like IRCC) to stop the clock for term rollovers, or even look at ending term positions early. There is a lot of information and misinformation being spread and it can be hard to make heads or tails of it all.
Your Local union communicates regularly with the Employer through Local Union Management Consultation Committees (LUMCCs), and Workforce Adjustment (WFA) was one of the topics that we have brought up. At this point, ESDC has not publicly stated if WFA will occur or if the clock will stop for term rollovers. Management has encouraged members with concerns about WFA to contact their direct supervisor or manager.
But of course, things can change and it doesn’t hurt to learn what WFA actually is and what the process actually is.
What is WFA?
Workforce adjustment is the layoff of one or more indeterminate employees. When an indeterminate employee gets laid off, they are presented 3 options to choose from in the event that the Employer cannot find a guarantee of a reasonable job offer.
Three Options
The 3 options offered to indeterminate employees if a reasonable job offer cannot be provided are :
- Option 1: 12 month surplus priority period in which to secure a reasonable job offer. You will get your full salary during this time period and your sole job is to find a new job. In the event a reasonable job offer cannot be secured, you will be laid off.
- Option 2: A transition support measure (TSM) will be given in a lump-sum based on years of service. You must resign but will still receive severance pay which is separate from TSM.
- Option 3: Be given an educational allowance equivalent to TSM plus no more than $17,000 for reimbursement of receipted expenses for tuition from a learning institution, cost of books and equipment. You can either resign and receive a separate severance pay or be on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) for up to 2 years.
What is TSM? Essentially, for every year of service starting from 1 year up to 16 years of service, you get 20 weeks plus 2 weeks per year of service. At under a year of service, its 10 weeks, between 16 to 29 years of service is 52 weeks.
Which option should I choose if I get WFA?
You will have 120 days to make a decision. Failing to do so, results in Option 1 being selected by default. Ultimately it is your individual choose, and if you are deemed to be WFA, the options will be clearly laid out including the exact monetary value.
What about Term employees?
As term employment is by definition temporary employment, you only get severance pay. You do not get the above 3 options or TSM. As a term employee, your main goal is to find indeterminate employment as soon as possible and if ESDC stop term rollovers like IRCC did, then you know ESDC is potentially looking to cease the employment of a number of term employees.
The unions are against WFA and the early termination of employees and will always encourage the Employer to find ways to prevent any lay-offs. If you wish to learn more about WFA in greater detail, please read Appendix D of your Collective Agreement and the Work Force Adjustment Direction from National Joint Council. If you want a quick highlight feel free to refer to the image below. Any other questions? Feel free to email your Local executive team at local541.pdoc@gmail.com
