'Every single pay week, employees in the federal government are panicking and checking their pay stubs'
Federal employees who are members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are rallying today in Calgary to draw attention to what they say is a faulty pay system.
Since 2016, the federal government has used the Phoenix pay system to pay its employees; PSAC claims the system has been plagued with problems from the beginning.
Incorrect pay grading, delayed retirement payouts, underpayments and missed payments have led to years of stress and anxiety for employees who rely on the system.
“As we mark the 8th year of the disastrous Phoenix pay system, tens of thousands of workers continue to endure endless pay problems,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward said in a press release.
“Workers deserve to be compensated for the pain and suffering they still face at the hands of a broken pay system.”
More compensation for losses due to payment system wanted
Over 260,000 federal employees are represented by PSAC.
In 2019 and 2020, federal unions negotiated general damages settlements to compensate members for losses due to the Phoenix system.
Along with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), PSAC has made a formal request that the Treasury Board begin negotiations to extend those agreements, “to compensate workers until they are paid properly and on time – every time,” the press release said.
There are currently 444,000 backlogged transactions waiting to be processed by the Public Service Pay Centre, PSAC said – a backlog that continues to grow.
“Every single pay week employees in the federal government are panicking and checking their pay stubs to see if they are going to get paid,” said Marianne Hladun, PSAC regional executive vice-president of the Prairies, in a report by CTV News.
Faulty pay system causing mental health concerns and career disruptions
The problems with the pay system have had serious impacts on federal employees, PSAC said, as workers put off retiring or making career advancements due to the uncertainty. Some workers have also experienced mental health impacts.
“A growing backlog of pay issues and wait times to fix pay issues also weighs on the mental health of workers and has damaging tax implications, with pay problems following them long after they’ve changed jobs, left the public service or retired,” PSAC said.
The unions have also called for the government to hire more compensation advisors to help stabilize the system. More than 380,000 federal employees are impacted by the system, PSAC said.
Today marks the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the Phoenix pay system. The rally is being held during the lunch hour at the Harry Hay’s building in Calgary, and similar events are taking place today in other parts of the country, CTV Calgary reports.
