OTTAWA – The ACFO Compensation & Benefits Committee Chair has informed the Board, that following consultation, the membership has selected, by a majority of 60%, binding arbitration as the dispute resolution mechanism (DRM) for this round of negotiations.
As you know, the Public Service Labour Relations Act (PSLRA) provides a choice between two methods of resolving collective bargaining disputes: binding arbitration and conciliation/strike in the event that a settlement cannot be reached with the employer at the bargaining table.
The vote of the membership reflects the desire to return to binding arbitration, the traditional DRM for ACFO. Binding arbitration results in a final decision that is binding on the parties regarding any matters that are not negotiated at the bargaining table. With this DRM, members are not permitted to participate in a strike to pressure the employer, but can participate in some forms of action such as participating in information pickets, writing letters to MPs and refusing to work unpaid overtime.
Binding arbitration is a particularly effective DRM when persuasive and objective evidence is available to demonstrate a gap between the FI group and internal and external comparator groups.
ACFO will now register the DRM selected by the majority of members with the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) prior to either party giving notice to bargain. Notice to bargain may be given by either party as of July 6, 2007.
The ACFO Compensation & Benefits Committee would like to sincerely thank all members who responded to the call for consultation. The C&B Committee will disseminate the result of the survey and provide a summary to the membership in the coming weeks.
