Hello sisters, brothers and friends,
First of all, I’d like to express my solidarity with you in these difficult times. The message we have received from the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency highlights the significant financial stakes involved, and I understand that this situation is generating a great deal of concern among you, our members.
I want to assure you that your union is there to support you and listen to your concerns. You can turn to your local representatives in complete confidence whether to express your concerns, file grievances or make complaints. We are committed to representing your interests and ensuring that your rights are respected, particularly in the light of the announced budget cuts.
At the national level, we are making numerous representations to the employer to limit the impact of these cuts. Among other things, we are demanding that the cuts apply to all levels of the organization, including excluded managers and the community of executive-level employees. We emphasize that if the Agency is making significant cuts to our members’ employment levels, it does not need the same number of excluded managers and executive-level employees to manage fewer employees. It’s a question of fairness. It should also be pointed out that excluded and executive-level employees enjoy very high salaries and benefits, which represents a significant financial burden for the employer.
The federal government has decided to impose major budget cuts on its departments and agencies in order to reduce its annual deficits. The Canada Revenue Agency has not been spared these cuts, despite the fact that the work of our members generates very substantial cash inflows into the government’s coffers, enabling it to provide Canadian citizens with quality services and social programs that are crucial to a large proportion of the population.
We are aware that these cuts have a significant impact, not only on the Agency’s employees, but also on the quality of service offered to Canadians. It is essential to remind the commissioner and the federal government that Canadian taxpayers are entitled to quality service, and that any reduction in resources will severely hamper the Agency’s ability to meet their needs. We will continue to make this reality heard in our discussions with management, in order to protect both employees and services to citizens. We will also make our voice heard with elected officials of all political parties in the next federal election, and in the media.
We will ensure that Appendix C of the collective agreement on workforce adjustment is fully respected by the Agency. In addition, we will continue to ensure that all workforce reduction measures whether contract or acting terminations, comply with Agency policies. We will be vigilant to ensure that these decisions are not made at the expense of fairness and transparency.
Rest assured that we will continue to fight and that we remain determined to defend the rights and interests of UTE members, especially in these uncertain and difficult times.
I invite you to contact your local representatives if you have any questions or wish to discuss these issues in more detail.
Together, we will meet these challenges as we always have in the past.
In solidarity,
Marc Brière
Président national / National President
Syndicat des employé-e-s de l’Impôt / Union of Taxation Employees