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May 2011
It has been quite some time since my last message. With summer fast approaching we have begun planning our regional Institute visits. At this time we have secure dates for the Montreal area institutes and center and also for the East coast. Our travel schedule is posted on the RCEA website and will be updated as more visits are scheduled.
During these past months I had the opportunity to meet with the President of the NRC, Mr. John McDougall. During our meeting I expressed the membership concerns about the rumours of more cuts coming. He replied that this was not the intent. I also raised concerns regarding the direction that NRC is going towards with the introduction of programs. Is the NRC going to be more of a service organization than a research and technology one? He replied that research and technology will remain a part of the NRC. We also had a brief discussion about the common services review; the response was that the review is still at an early stage and it is expected that more details will be available in the coming months.
The review of the Work Force Adjustment (WFA) Policy is underway; proposals from the unions and the NRC were exchanged. Both the RCEA and PIPSC and the NRC have had several meetings to date. More meetings have been scheduled in which we hope to make more progress. Representing the RCEA on the Review Committee are myself, Joan Van Den Bergh and Greg Scriver. More information is available on our website.
As I mentioned in the latest Pension Litigation Update, in October 2010 the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed our case. Further to this decision, the bargaining agents met to discuss the next steps. Applications for leave of appeal were filed by the bargaining agents and organizations. The Supreme Court of Canada has granted the public service bargaining agents and representative organizations the applications for leave to appeal the 2010 Ontario Court of Appeal decision. Updates on the Pension Litigation will be posted on our website as we receive them.
The NRC Classification Renewal Project is underway. The RCEA has hired a classification consultant to look after the interests of our members. As mentioned in the February newsletter, the RCEA will have a significant role in the process in providing input to the review of the AS/AD classifications. At this time NRC is still preparing how it will undertake the review and what, if any, new systems it will implement.
The re-write of the RCEA constitution is at the final stage. I am pleased with the progress and the hard work that the Committee has put in. Once the final draft is completed and approved by the committee, it will be submitted it to our legal counsel for review before going to the membership for a vote.
Serge Croteau
President