ACFO meets with Minister Foote to discuss Phoenix

On August 19, ACFO Director of Labour Relations Scott Chamberlain was one of three union representatives to meet with Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote to discuss Phoenix and the many related issues affecting the FI Community.

In this meeting, Chamberlain expressed ACFO’s concern about the extra workload, uncertainty and stress due to lack of pay causing undue hardship to the FI Community. Although underscoring the belief that the cause of Phoenix issues relates fundamentally to outsourcing, Chamberlain focused on best courses of action moving forward, including a detailed study of Phoenix once it’s finally stable and that all finance or HR consolidation projects should be placed on hold until that detailed study is completed.

Chamberlain also flagged FI-specific issues caused by Phoenix, including the lack of reimbursements for CPA dues and problems accessing special compensation leave provisions due to blackout periods. Phoenix will also likely slow down the collective bargaining process and take longer than the tax year to resolve, so he further stressed the need to be proactive in developing solutions for incorrect T4s.

Minister Foote and her staff were very receptive to our suggestions and assured that PSPC is working hard to fix Phoenix. We will continue to provide you with updates about Phoenix as we receive them. For any questions, please contact Scott Chamberlain at schamberlain@acfo-acaf.com.

If you are currently withholding submitting any overtime, acting or other reimbursement claims, we strongly encourage you to submit them. If you encounter any problems, please contact Labour Relations at labourrelations@acfo-acaf.com.