Human Resource Agreement Finalized to Provide Protections for Workers Impacted by the HST

The governments of Canada and B.C. have signed a Human Resources Agreement (HRA) which sets out the terms and conditions for BCGEU members employed by the Ministry of Finance who accept offers of employment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The Public Service Agency has been consulting with the BCGEU as the negotiations between the governments have been underway. The agreement includes protections and rights on critical issues for workers such as rate of pay, benefits, employment security and seniority recognition among other things. The HRA provides for staged offers of employment over four years with effective dates of appointment commencing on November 1, 2010, July 7, 2011, March 1, 2012 and July 5, 2012.

BCGEU members have the right to indicate a willingness to accept an offer of employment from the CRA or to stay with the Ministry of Finance. In light of the comprehensive protections which are contained in the human resource agreement, the BCGEU recommends that members give serious consideration to accepting offers of employment from the CRA.

The BCGEU has been invited by the Ministry of Finance to participate in the upcoming information sessions for employees about the transfer.

We appreciate the fact that this has been a very uncertain time for Ministry of Finance employees since the announcement of the introduction of the HST last year. The BCGEU will continue to monitor this process as it unfolds.