Hi everyone, 

We want to provide an update on three policy grievances filed by the union in July 2025, and to flag a new policy grievance that will be filed in the coming days. 

On July 17, 2025, the union filed three policy grievances related to hours of work, shift premiums, and working in pairs. Under Article 8.11 of the collective agreement, the parties are required to meet to discuss these grievances. These conversations are ongoing between counsel for the Employer and counsel for the union. 

As background, in February 2025 the parties participated in a two-day mediation to resolve earlier grievances related to flextime, work scheduling, and shift premiums. That process resulted in a one-year pilot project running from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. 

Following that, the employer introduced DSM Directive 25-01 and began issuing monthly Priority Focus Work Plans. While these plans do not explicitly assign work at specific times, they effectively do so by prioritizing tasks that can only be completed during certain hours. In practice, this limits inspectors' ability to manage their schedules, despite scheduling flexibility being protected under Articles 4.6 and 14.8 of the collective agreement. 

In March 2026, the employer introduced DSM Directive 26-01, which came into effect on April 1, 2026. This directive further restricts scheduling flexibility. Inspectors are now required to work four time-specific inspection shifts per month, with three of those shifts taking place on a Friday or Saturday night, and to enter all work activities, including anticipated hours and start and end times, into their Outlook calendars. 

The union will be filing a new policy grievance in the coming days related to DSM Directives 25-01 and 26-01. This grievance will assert that the use of Priority Focus Work Plans violates both the field employee and flextime provisions of the collective agreement. 

The union is concerned that these changes represent a clear erosion of long-standing practices and negotiated rights, and impose unnecessary constraints on inspectors' ability to carry out their work effectively. 

If you have questions or need clarification, please contact me at [email protected]. 

The union will be scheduling a meeting to discuss these matters when we have more substantive updates.

We will share further updates as more information becomes available. 

In solidarity,

DJ Pohl 
Component 12 Vice President, BCGEU