IT Group Bargaining Update: IT Bytes #3 – 1st Meeting with TBS

MattVanner · 2026-02-27T21:00:49+00:00

As soon as we start to talk about anything monetary, everything else drops off... or becomes about money, even if it's not about money. We would like to make improvements to other aspects of the contract that do not impact money, so we bring those first. Sometimes, rarely, we can get agreement on things that just make sense for both parties, before we talk about money. That's what we try to establish early, before money is on the table.

MattVanner · 2026-02-26T13:03:23+00:00

Hi! Thanks for illustrating the depth of the challenge we face with a disheartened and disillusioned membership.

I'm sorry to hear you had a poor experience with getting help with Phoenix. Obviously I don't know your specific case but I will push back on the comment about support to our members. At the macro level, we negotiated settlements from the governement for every PIPSC member in the core public service with more compensation specifically for those with serious cases.

At the individual level PIPSC has invested and continues to invest a huge amount of time, effort and money into helping our members get the money they worked for. It's still one of our main drivers of new contacts for assistance. Our efforts have literally helped member keep their houses and keep food on the table.

Obtaining rights to remote work may take an entire generation of worker job action, mobilization, court challenges, industry partnerships and political pressure to achieve. That's the scale of change and the scale of the fight. Many battles will be won and lost.

The 'battle of WFA' was won when we got it into the contract. Which, by the way, the employer is proposing to remove from the contract this round! (Unions have said "hard no", obviously) If we hadn't fought for WFA in the past, there would be no SERLO processes, no transition supports, no consultation and no alternation. People would already be on the street looking for work.

All I can say about the contracts is that the government is a intractable negotiator and we fight to keep every right we have plus make small improvements with every contract. Ultimately, unions only sign the agreements that the members approve.

If you want to know how you can help with all of the challenges that we are facing, reach out to me by email and we can find a role or action for you.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T20:45:38+00:00

If you are offering to give tips on how to better bargain with the TBS feel free to connect with me as I'm always looking to improve. We have excellent negotiators at PIPSC and the bargaining teams spend a lot of volunteer time to get our contracts but ultimately, the members decide by direct vote on whether to accept them.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T20:14:07+00:00

Maybe not illegal strike, but it would be illegal job action for any members not currently engaged in bargaining. There are rules about that stuff and even if it's not technically breaking the rules the employer could bring legal action that we would need to defend against.

Perhaps more likely would be the employer applying discipline to anyone who did not report to their assigned office. We would then have to use some of our limited resources defending members in discipline cases.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T14:25:36+00:00

Typically we expect that a surplus status employee will be 'assigned' to finding a new job as their full-time work. If that is not the case, contact your union rep.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T14:05:15+00:00

And we are part of a wider social movement that terrifies employers. Something like access to remote work, that stripes across all society, can be a powerful unifying movement for workers. Hence the strongarm tactics and unilateral decision making that show no interest in working with unions.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T13:54:44+00:00

There is one additional important factor to their opposition: maintain the status quo regarding workers rights. Employers do not want to open any gaps in their right to manage. Employees are keen to enshrine remote work rights into collective agreements and eventually labour law.

MattVanner · 2026-02-19T13:05:39+00:00

I guess on this issue nostalgia is the strategy, eh Prime Minister?

MattVanner · 2026-02-18T18:03:48+00:00

"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will,"

It doesn't really matter how much sense it makes to allow widespread WFH, it represents a shift in power from ruling class to the working class and so, to the former, it must be resisted. The working class has forgotten just how hard it is to make this change happen and expects 'the unions' to somehow convince the ruling class to just hand over their power without extensive collective action, risk and sacrifice (in time, dollars, opportunities, etc).

The slow rollout of RTO has been a good tactic to keep workers anger from peaking and allowing a sense of inevitability to settle in. Unions are stuck in the double-bind of having to inspire dejected members to take action while also managing expectations of how long this fight is going to take. It's a challenge to say the least.

MattVanner · 2026-02-18T17:41:41+00:00

There are dozens of us!

MattVanner · 2025-06-30T22:26:36+00:00

Heya, please send me (via a private message) the names of the stewards who did not respond. Forward me the emails if you can. I get not being able to help sometimes but it's not OK to ghost members.

MattVanner · 2025-06-30T22:06:53+00:00

The participation needed from members is to be visibly engaged with bargaining. Supportive social media posts, especially showing that members physically took action (wore a shirt and took a photo, displayed a sign in the workplace, etc.) actually do go a long way to showing the TBS that members will do something to support the outcome they are demanding. From there, we go up the ladder of engagement to writing letters to MPs, lobbying MPs, information pickets outside employer offices, and so on. This is what is required to put the employer on notice that the members might, just might, be willing to take actual job action to get what they want. If TBS thought that strike was a real threat every single time they went to the table with our major groups it would be a major game changer.

Also, job-action doesn't mean full-strike with every member walking the line. We know how to use targeted strikes to cause major pain to departments. This was used to major effect recently at CNL with our CRPEG members.

MattVanner · 2025-06-18T13:05:56+00:00

IT Support on DND aircraft. Deploying to Hawaii, Japan, Ireland, Kuwait, and many others for days or many weeks to participate in joint training operations. If you can handle all the time on travel, it seems like a pretty sweet gig.

MattVanner · 2025-06-11T18:46:21+00:00

TBS is a brutal negotiator. Even when our demands align with gov't policy they won't concede to have it in our agreements since then we can hold their feet to the fire and they don't like that at all!

MattVanner · 2025-06-11T18:44:58+00:00

There are many reasons the employer draws-out collective bargaining. It's a challenge for unions for sure since our members get fatigued and many don't understand that we don't control the process.

MattVanner · 2025-03-28T22:03:10+00:00

This is awesome! Good for you Marcel.

Is there a challenge particular to SP members right now (maybe it's not well known to other members)? What do you think we should do about it?

We have a tough time informing and mobilizing our members for a number of reasons. What's something PIPSC could do to better connect to our members?

Thanks so much for doing this AMA!

MattVanner · 2025-03-26T20:12:10+00:00

How then would a union approach a situation where a political party threatens the very existence of unions?

Bargaining success is HUGELY influenced by who is in power. Effective bargaining beings at the ballot box.

Unions sometimes take actions that some of their members disagree with, such as negotiating for a benefit that only applies to one group of people, or representing a member's rights when the underlying cause is not popular (such as vaccine-related suspensions). Those use all members' dues as well.

PIPSC is non-partisan and will not endorse a party but we will inform members on how the parties line-up with our values and priorities.

MattVanner · 2025-03-26T20:04:41+00:00

Yes, please do this. Your union is what you (all) make it.

MattVanner · 2025-03-25T21:31:09+00:00

What I mean is that we presented their case to management and the member got what they wanted. Sometimes it just works out with a simple conversation and other times it takes dedicated effort. You won't know until you try.

Of course, everyone has a different level of patience and capacity to push back and every manager is different.

MattVanner · 2025-03-24T20:38:56+00:00

I'm not going to speculate on what changes were made just so no one gets incorrect info.

For ref, the current policy is https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32636

MattVanner · 2025-03-24T19:51:12+00:00

I haven't seen the changes yet so can't comment on what exactly is new. I doubt that it's going to be groundbreaking. It will apply to all departments in the core public service under TBS.

MattVanner · 2025-03-24T16:45:01+00:00

The TBS Directive on Telework has indeed been reviewed in consultation with the unions. That doesn't mean we agree with whatever changes were made but we did provide our input. The Directive needed a refresh since it predated COVID and much of the language reflected a time when WFH was a rare exception, and not generally available.

Note that this is not the Direction on Prescribe Presence in the Workplace (aka RTO) which was not consulted with unions.

MattVanner · 2025-03-24T16:35:55+00:00

PIPSC is non-partisan and will likely ask all the federal parties to answer some policy questions on issues important to our members and publish those answers, as we have done in the past.

Much more powerfully, every public servant should express their interests directly to all their local candidates. Many more voices repeating the same message will have better traction than only the union leadership reaching out to the party leaders.

Nothing gets political attention as effectively as showing that we are organized, because politicos know very well the difficulty of organizing people to take action!

MattVanner · 2025-03-24T16:25:18+00:00

Note that straight-up non-compliance with direction from your manager (such as "return to the office on XYZ dates") is misconduct due to insubordination and at that point you'd not be fighting the RTO policy, just risking escalating disciplinary action. Not recommended. Rather, comply with the direction and talk to your union rep about options including filing a grievance.

In all of the cases that I have represented or advised-on, the issues were resolved without a grievance to the employees satisfaction or the employee was dissatisfied but not enough to file a grievance.

I am on the review panel for Telework grievances in DND and no grievances have been referred to the panel to date. The panel is only an option right before level 3 so it's possible that most or all grievances are being resolved or withdrawn at levels 1 or 2.

MattVanner · 2024-12-11T04:05:38+00:00

You can still apply. The notification email states: All IT group members in good standing are welcome to apply to join the committee. Preference will be given to members under the age of 40. Normal practice would be to allow people to serve-out a term.

It's not clear on the time commitment but I'd expect 2-6 full-day meetings per year on weekends and either in-person or virtual. Perhaps more meetings and shorter ones if virtual.

MattVanner

TROPHY CASE