CT Group Impact – Your questions answered
As you may know, on March 9, the Government of Canada announced the creation of a new occupational group, the Comptrollership Group (CT Group). The FI Group will become part of this new group, along with the existing External Audit Group and a new internal audit group, composed of some positions currently part of other classifications.
After this announcement, we received many questions from our members about the CT Group and what it means for them. We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions to help you better understand the impact of the new group.
Last updated: April 5, 2019
Immediate changes
Am I still an FI? Will the FI classification be eliminated?
You are still an FI and the FI classification remains intact. It will be the largest subgroup of the CT occupational group called CT-FIN.
Will my pay be impacted?
In the short term, no, you will maintain the same salary and your terms and conditions of employment are secure. We also expect our current collective bargaining and pay equity efforts will lead to improvements prior to the fall federal election.
In the long term, the CT Group is an opportunity to improve the pay grid when the process is complete and when we’re certified as the bargaining agent for the group.
For employees currently working in the AS Group, the employer has confirmed that salary protection measures will apply in the unlikely scenario that the maximum salary for your new sub group is lower than that of your current group. FI and AU employees will keep the same grid following the CT Group implementation and thus are assured that pay won’t be affected in the short term.
Will this impact my collective agreement and any of my current benefits?
No, all terms and conditions of employment are secure. Collective bargaining will continue to unfold as normal for all represented employees with separate pay grids. Once a bargaining agent is eventually certified to represent the CT Group, bargaining on behalf of all three impacted groups will occur.
We expect that overall this will have a positive impact on salary rates when the process is completed as we will have an unprecedented opportunity to make additional compensation improvements.
How will this impact my duties?
There should be no impact on your day-to-day work. All terms and conditions of employment are secure. Once we’re certified as the bargaining agent for the CT Group, there will be a window to improve the Classification Standard and professional development opportunities for the group.
How does this impact Pay Equity?
There should be no impact, as we currently represent the vast majority of members in the CT occupational group and the female predominance should not be impacted in any material way. We also anticipate our current efforts will conclude our pay equity negotiations well in advance of the CT process being completed.
Will this affect any competitions or pools?
No, this will have no impact on any pools, staffing competitions or FI recruitment programs. If you hear otherwise, please contact Labour Relations (labourrelations@acfo-acaf.com) and they will address the situation with TBS.
Will this impact the Qualification Standard?
We anticipate that the CT process will be a great opportunity for ACFO-ACAF to achieve improvements to the Qualification Standard for all three subgroups if we are certified as the bargaining agent. We also anticipate that there will be greater career mobility between the three groups. The employer has confirmed that if minimum standards are increased, employees currently in the FI, AU and internal audit groups will be protected by grandparenting provisions for their current position and any others in their new CT subgroup.
What is the timeline for any impending changes?
At this point, the employer’s timelines are fluid, but they have informed us they intend to complete the process by 2020-2021. The employer has confirmed that FIs and AUs will receive a notification letter with information about the implementation date at some point in the future. Those currently working in the AS Group will first receive a notification about the conversion to the new internal audit subgroup, then the letter with the implementation date. To this point, we have not been advised of the timelines for these notifications to be sent.
The employer has also stated that the implementation date will depend on factors including pay system readiness, which means the ongoing Phoenix issues may delay this date.
What impact will this have on my union dues?
This will not have any immediate impact on your union dues, regardless of your current representation and classification. Going forward, if ACFO-ACAF becomes the certified bargaining agent for the CT Group, all CT members would enjoy our fixed monthly dues, which are significantly lower than other unionized employees.
Will ACFO-ACAF be receiving additional resources (i.e. increased Joint Career Development Program funding) upon being certified?
ACFO-ACAF plans to advocate for additional Joint Career Development Program funding and would be in a good position to secure it through collective bargaining.
CT Group membership
Will all FIs and AUs be part of the new CT Group?
All FIs and AUs in the core federal public service will be part of the new CT Group. The CT Group will not cover employees at separate employers such as Canada Revenue Agency, Parks Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Additionally, the employer has confirmed that FIs and AUs currently working in internal audit roles will remain in the new FI and AU subgroups and will not be converted into the new internal audit subgroup. Only members of the AS Group working in internal audit will be converted to the new subgroup.
Which members of other classifications will be part of the new CT Group?
We do not yet have notice from the employer indicating which employees are impacted. Individual employees affected will receive a letter from the employer notifying them of the change, but this likely won’t occur for several months.
How large will the CT Group be compared to the FI Group?
The employer anticipates the CT Group to have approximately 5,300 employees, 4,800 of which are FIs.
Why haven’t I heard anything regarding the CT Group from my employer or other unions?
We can’t speak to why the employer or other unions decided not to inform their employees/members about the CT group. However, we are aware the employer is working on a communications plan and it may not be rolled out for several months. We felt it was important to contact members as soon as the announcement was made official to keep you informed on the CT group and its implications.
Why weren’t employees consulted on the CT Group?
The employer is not required to consult employee groups or bargaining agents about occupational group changes and it’s within their authority to make this change. It was, however, an option to consult with employees, and they chose not to. We can’t speak to why they decided not to.
Union representation
Does this mean ACFO-ACAF isn’t my union anymore? Could another union now represent FIs?
Until the employer implements these changes, all FIs remain represented by ACFO-ACAF with all their terms and conditions of employment intact. However, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB, “the Labour Board”) needs to certify a bargaining agent for the CT Group.
We are currently the only union who has applied to represent the group. We have a plan for improved pay, classification standards, qualification standards, professional development and career mobility for the CT Group and can execute it as soon as possible if you sign and return a membership card (see explanation below).
How do I ensure ACFO-ACAF remains my union?
ACFO-ACAF is best positioned to represent the comptrollership community with significantly lower dues compared to other bargaining agents and professional, experienced service (see our full explainer for why we should represent you at www.acfo-acaf.com/CTGroup).
You can help ensure ACFO-ACAF remains your union by signing and returning a membership card (see explanation below).
I am an AU or internal auditor. Why should I sign an ACFO-ACAF membership card?
With one of the lowest union dues in the federal public service and experienced, professional services offered to financial officers for 30 years, ACFO-ACAF is the best-positioned union to advocate for the CT group. You may consult our one-pager on why ACFO-ACAF is the best choice to represent the CT group here.
Membership cards
What are membership cards?
Membership cards are a way for all members of the new CT Group (including FIs) to show their support and choose ACFO-ACAF to represent them as their bargaining agent.
Does signing a membership card improve the chance that ACFO-ACAF will remain our bargaining agent?
Absolutely. It’s the best and least disruptive way for an FI to ensure ACFO-ACAF remains their union and for the affected members of the AU, IA or other classifications to choose ACFO-ACAF as their new union.
The sooner we have cards signed by at least 50% of CT employees, the sooner we can begin executing our plan for improved pay and workplace conditions.
Do existing FIs need to sign the membership card or is it only for new members (ie AU, IA or other classifications)?
All members of the new CT Group need to sign a membership card, including existing ACFO-ACAF members.
Should acting AUs, FIs and internal audit group members fill out the membership cards too?
Yes. Even if you anticipate no longer belonging to the AU, FI or internal audit classification in the coming months, you should still fill out a card. Should acting AUs, FIs or internal auditors fill out a card and not be classified in one of those groups by the time the Labour Board reviews the cards, they will simply be taken out of consideration.
How do I submit a membership card for consideration by the Labour Board?
Please print and complete the membership card (https://www.acfo-acaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CTCard-EN.pdf) and mail it to the following address:
ACFO-ACAF
193 Richmond Road
Ottawa, ON K1Z 6W4
Please note that scans, copies or faxes will not be accepted by the Labour Board and only the original will be accepted.
Your departmental representative(s) can also collect cards on behalf of your whole office and mail them back to ACFO-ACAF together.
Any additional questions
Please contact ACFO-ACAF’s Director of Labour Relations, General Counsel and Negotiator, Scott Chamberlain, at schamberlain@acfo-acaf.com for any questions unanswered above.
