HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1974-12-25, Page 4Your government's position
on negotiations with
the ChM Service Association of OW
The Government of Ontario has offered the CSAO an average 20% pa
over one year and is prepared to go to arbitration. CSAO leads
has refused this offer and also refuses to go to arbitration.
We believe, as your government, we have offered a fair and reasonabl
For almost three months now the Government of
Ontario has been trying to negotiate a new collec-
tive agreement with the Civil Service Association
of Ontario covering some 19,000 civil servants in
the Operational Services Category.
With less, than two weeks' negotiating time left
before the current contract expires and the CSAO
threatening an illegal strike on January 1st if it
doesn't have a new agreement by then, we thought
it was time to let you, the taxpayers of Ontario,
know directly how and where things stand.
' After all, it is your tax dollars that will be used
to pay for any wage settlement we make with
these employees. And it is your services that will
be threatened with disruption if the CSAO carries
out its threat of an illegal walkout.
The government has tried to negotiate
in good faith.
The CSAO first served its demands on the govern-
ment on September 27th. The Association told us
then it wanted a 61 1/2 per cent wage increase in a
one-year contract for 1975.
That didn't seem to government negotiators to be
a serious or realistic demand on which to. base
negotiations and w,e began a series of meetings
with CSAO representatives to try and discover
where the real bargaining area lay. We met twice
in October and again for two days early in
November.
During those Meetings we set forth our counter-
proposals. First, we suggested a two-year contract
with wage increases of 10 to 16 per cent in the
first year and 8 per cent in the second.
Despite written assurance that this was a negotia-
ble offer, the CSAO leadership insisted on taking
it to its membership and, on that basis, on getting a
mandate for an illegal strike if there was no agree-
ment by January 1st.
The CSAO membership vote took two weeks and
it wasn't until December 2nd and 3rd that we
were able to sit down again with Association rep-.
resentatives. At these meetings, as they had from
the outset, CSAO negotiators refused to move
from their initial demand for a 61 1/2 per cent wage
increase—an increase that would cost you, the
taxpayers of Ontario, almost $100 million in
additional wage bills in 1975.
Given this situation, government negotiators
decided a major move was necessary. Since the
CSAO had been insisting that the government
make an offer it could take back to its member-
ship, one December 3rd our representatives put
their full mandate on the bargaining table.
The government has made a fair and
reasonable wage offer.
The offer,tabled by government negotiators on
December •3rd represented a considerable move
from our initial position. In recognition of the
uncertainties caused by Canada's current infla-
tionary climate, we proposed a one-year contract
which would allow both sides to return to the
bargaining table in 12 months when we could
review the economic situation at that time.
For the 12 months of 1975, 'we proposed wage
increases averaging 20 per cent for the 19,000
employees involved. The increases actually ranged
from 15 to 23 per cent, depending on the employee
group involved, but more than 80 per cent of the
civil servants would receive 20 per cent or more.
The cost to the taxpayers of these increases
would be $32.7 million in 1975.
The government made this proposal in a sincere
attempt to be fair and reasonable with its employ-
ees, while, at the same time, recognizing its wider
responsibilities to the taxpayers and economy of
our province. Our research, based on surveys of
more than 120 employers in Ontario, indicated
that our wage. levels would be competitive with
those paid elsewhere in the province for compara-
ble work. In fact, the 20 per cent increase for one
year compared with an average annual increase of
14.5 per cent in contracts signed in recent months
by private employers in Ontario.
The government is moving to improve
the collective bargaining system.
Concurrently, but separate from the actual wage
negotiations, government representatives have
been discussing with 'the CSAO and other em-
ployee organizations possible changes in the
Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act
which 'governs collective bargaining for public
servants.
On December 5th the Hon. Eric Winkler, Chair-
man of the Management Board, introduced the
government's proposed amendments in the Legis-
lature. The Bill recommends a number of changes
in the Act, including three highly significant ones:
(1) It proposes a revision in the method of ap-
pointing arbitration boards (the ultimate recourse
under the law to settle differences) to ensure that
the makeup of these boards does not appear to
favor either side. Under the proposed change, the
employee agent and the employer each would
name one member to the board and they, in turn,
would agree on the choice of a neutr
as chairman. This amendment res
to one of the major demands made
in its campaign against the Act.
(2) Similar changes would be made
and equal employee representation
Service Grievance Board and the C
Service Labor Relations Tribunal,
major bodies established under the
(3) If these amendments are acc
Legislature, employees henceforth
to bargain on such matters as pa
motions, transfers, layoffs and the
and job evaluation system. Under th
all of these are considered manage
ative. The proposed amendments al.
opportunity, short of actual bargai
ployee representatives to discuss an
the employer the governing principle
system, training arid development,
super annuation.
The government wants a seta
but it must be preparec
an illegal strike.
During recent days, there,has been on
opment. On. December 13th .the
first time, formally dropped its demai
per cent wage increase and said, inste
a 41 per cent hike for 1975. At the tir
ment. was prepared the government
that it could not in all responsibili
demand of that magnitude.
The government, for its part, rema
negotiate seriously and in good faitl
framework of its December 3rd propo
already offered to submit the issue t,
tion board to be set up on the basis of t
amendments to the Crown Employee
Bargaining Act.
In the meantime, since January 1st isi
the government has had to formulate
plans in the event the CSAO leader:
in calling an Mega! strike. We ..hope
happen. We expect that our ernp1(
break the law. But if they do, we are di
meet our responsibility to maintain th
you rightfully expect to receive from
ment.
We believe we have been f
reasonable with our employ
responsible to you as taxpa
to the economy of our pro
•
Ontario
Government of Ontario
Management Board
4.--THE BRUSSELS POsT i DECEMBER 1974