The Correction and Sheriff Services Component (C.S.S.C) has been advised that the Adult Custody Division is again seeking expressions of interest from Correction Staff who are interested in temporarily being appointed as a Deputy Sheriff for the Fall of 2011.  Both Component Chairperson Dean Purdy and President Darryl Walker have recently commented, in the media, on the shortage of Deputy Sheriffs and the negative impact on our justice system (see August 19, 2011 release on the BCGEU website).

Your component has not negotiated this arrangement with the employer and does not endorse this short sighted policy.  It is insulting to our Deputy Sheriff classifications that the employer is placing a higher paid classification worker to do only part of the Sheriff duties, yet they refuse to reclassify the Deputy Sheriff positions to the appropriate higher classification that they deserve.

The Correctional and Sheriff Services Component submitted a resolution to our Constitutional Convention in June 2011, which is now before our Provincial Executive, opposing the action by the employer.  Your Component will monitor these expressions of interest to ensure they are in compliance with the Master and Component agreements and our Union Policy. 

In the meantime, your Component does not recommend that Correction staff apply for these expressions of interest, as participation in this process has harmed our members in Sheriff Services in the past and has the potential to harm them in the future.