Hello Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
Recently, we learned that the employer was considering putting its long-service and retirement recognition program on hold until further notice. Under this program, employees are recognized for their service on their anniversary date at various intervals, as well as at retirement, and receive a plaque and a gift.
The Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) immediately contacted the employer on this matter, and serious discussions were held. In our view, it is very important to keep this program in place to honour and recognize all employees who are reliable and demonstrate their loyalty to the employer over many years. All these employees do excellent work in the service of Canadians. It is equally important to mark the retirement of Agency employees.
Following our discussions, the Agency decided to continue with its recognition program, and has now committed to surveying employees and consulting unions on the future of the program. This is good news and a wise decision on the part of the employer.
However, this should not blind us to other actions or decisions the CRA has taken in 2023 and in recent months. The Canada Revenue Agency does not respect its Call Centre employees. It flouts our collective agreement. It doesn't respect its own staffing program, having recently invoked Sunset Funding clauses when they clearly didn't apply.
Then, the CRA announced to some 12,000 of our members who are term employees that it was imposing a moratorium on administrative conversion to permanent status until further notice. This decision was taken to prevent administrative conversions even though the Agency's budgets have not yet been seriously affected. The Agency had not even waited for the budget to be tabled. This decision was clearly premature.
Indeed, the news coming out of the budget were rather good for the Agency. The government indicated that it wanted to reduce wait times at CRA Call Centres and to "continue to support CRA call center operations" by proposing to "provide funding of $336 million over two years, starting in 2024-2025, to the Canada Revenue Agency to maintain call centre resources and improve the efficiency of its call centres."
In addition, no cuts have been announced for the CRA in the budget tabled by the Minister of Finance.
The only known future cuts to the Agency's budget are those outlined in the CRA's plan included in the 2024-2025 Government Main Estimates to meet its commitment to the federal government’s Refocusing Government Spending exercise, which were released in early March.
In this plan, the Agency foresees the following spending cuts:
- 2024-2025: $65,672,000
- 2025-2026: $103,279,000
- 2026-2027 and thereafter: $154,753,000
The Canada Revenue Agency's projected Expenditures for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $17,579,455,563, or more than $17 billion!
Planned spending cuts for 2024-2025 therefore represent less than 4/10ths of one (1) percent of the Agency's budget.
In this context, how can the Canada Revenue Agency still justify imposing a moratorium on the administrative conversion of term employees?
Thousands of our members working in the Agency's Call Centres are term employees. We also have many term members working elsewhere in the Agency, particularly in Revenue Collections. Clearly, no major cuts are planned in this Branch, given the unprecedented amounts owed by individuals and businesses in unpaid taxes and emergency benefits.
The Agency didn't even consult us on this decision, which have and will continue to have a very significant impact on many of our members. We were informed only two days before the announcement of the moratorium on the administrative conversion of term employees.
How can the CRA expect to meet its program objectives and offer the best possible services to Canadian taxpayers if it decides to leave thousands of its employees in such a precarious and uncertain situation? How does the Agency intend to ensure the stability of its workforce and maintain employee morale under such conditions? How will the Agency ensure that the money invested in the training of term employees won't simply be wasted, when many are undoubtedly pondering their future with the CRA in the face of so much uncertainty?
My friends, enough is enough!
We need to all stand together and say out loud that we are outraged by the actions of the Canada Revenue Agency.
I hereby formally request, on behalf of the Union of Taxation Employees and its 35,000 members, that the Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency, Mr. Bob Hamilton, reverse his decision and immediately end the moratorium on the administrative conversion of term employees. This is the only fair, reasonable and honourable thing to do at this time.
In the meantime, in view of the employer's actions, we ask all members of the Union of Taxation Employees NOT TO PARTICIPATE in any of the activities organized by the Canada Revenue Agency in connection with National Public Service Week, which will be held from June 9 to 15, 2024. This applies both to the organization of the activities and to participation in them.
This call to boycott is made and unanimously supported by all the Officers on our union's national Executive Council.
We must deliver a clear and powerful message to the Agency that we want its lack of respect for our members, its employees, to stop.
During National Public Service Week, federal employers usually show their appreciation for their employees' work by offering them a piece of cake, a hot dog or a hamburger. You're worth much more than that, and more respect from your employer, the Canada Revenue Agency, would be much more appreciated and appropriate.
It's high time the Canada Revenue Agency does what it says, which is to put "People First", including its employees.
In Solidarity,
Marc Brière
National President