OTTAWA – On January 15th 2008, ACFO met with the Treasury Board for our first bargaining session. Each negotiating team had an opportunity to provide an overview of their respective non-monetary proposals and to seek clarifying information.
On January 16th, both teams participated in a joint training session concerning the concept and benefits of interest-based bargaining. ACFO and Treasury Board have agreed to try this innovative technique for part of the bargaining this round. Interest-based bargaining differs from traditional positional bargaining in that it encourages detailed discussion and joint problem solving to address the interests of the parties.
Our next negotiating sessions are scheduled for February 12-14 and March 26-27, 2008. Updates will be provided following these sessions. The team looks forward to building on the constructive discussions of our initial session and working with the employer to improve the finance community.
We’re Worth It!
In an October 2006 paper entitled “Strategy, Accountability and the New Role of the CFO Modernizing Financial Management in Government” the Conference Board of Canada reported that:
“The current state of the CFO community, with respect to qualifications, capacity and the impact of changing demographics, suggests that the finance community has been undervalued for too long.“
ACFO couldn’t agree more. We believe that robust career development options and competitive compensation levels are necessary to preserve and enhance the finance community.
How Can You Support Your Bargaining Team?
Do you have ideas to contribute on how to improve the career development and training opportunities for the finance community? If so, send an email to your negotiating team at schamberlain@acfo-acaf.com. All of your suggestions will be considered and raised with the employer through the Interest-based bargaining process.
