Update on ACFO’s pay equity case

ACFO is pleased to provide the following update regarding the Pay Equity initiative. Our pay equity case has been progressing well over the year; however, both ACFO and Treasury Board have determined that the process requires an amendment of the timelines to allow both parties the opportunity to more thoroughly prepare for adjudication.

Following a request by Treasury Board in April 2014, the parties mutually agreed to a two-month extension of Treasury Board’s deadline to submit its expert reports. While ACFO has now received the required documents from Treasury Board, both parties concur that more time is needed for their respective experts to review, respond and reply to these various reports. Therefore, on May 27 2014, ACFO and Treasury Board attended a case conference with the PSLRB adjudicator to jointly request an extension of all timelines and a postponement of the pay equity hearing itself. On June 4 2014, the adjudicator granted the parties’ request and set the case down for hearing in April 2015.

Although delays are common and sometimes deliberate in the litigation process, we are satisfied with this amended timeline as it was a joint decision from which both parties will benefit. Comprehensive preparation will help to prevent the pay equity case from being adjourned mid-hearing for further work, as has been the case in previous pay equity complaints. It will also allow both sides to identify common ground and narrow points of disagreement prior to the hearing itself. Ultimately, the parties agree that the opportunity for more extensive preparation by both parties will streamline the litigation process and result in a shorter adjudication of the merits, which in turn will save ACFO significant costs.

Consequently, the revised timelines are as follows:

• ACFO’s pay equity expert will be reviewing and replying to Treasury Board’s expert reports by mid-October 2014;
• in turn, Treasury Board’s experts must review and respond to our expert’s replies by January 31, 2015.
• Finally, the substantive pay equity case is scheduled to be heard the weeks of April 20 and April 27, 2015.

ACFO will continue to provide our members with updates as the case progresses. If you have any questions or comments regarding Pay Equity, you can direct them to Vivian Gates, Labour Relations Advisor, at vgates@acfo-acaf.com.