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Agreement negotiated for HST transition in Ontario

'The good news is that everyone impacted by the divestment will receive a job offer from CRA.' - OPSEU.

Toronto (11 March 2010) - The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) has released details of the Human Resources Agreement (HRA) between the ministry of revenue and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) covering members affected by the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

"After originally being advised that the HRA would be concluded almost four months ago, the Ontario ministry of revenue and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) have released the HRA for the transfer of staff from the province of Ontario to CRA," the union says in an update posted on its website.

"The good news is that everyone impacted by the divestment will receive a job offer from CRA. All members will be transferring into the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) bargaining unit at CRA, which puts all staff in the service and programs (SP) classifications. The other good news is that CRA intends to provide jobs in Durham Region for our members in Durham."

OPSEU says the transfer to federal positions in Ontario will unfold in two waves.

"In the first, some employees will be transferred in November 2010; the second will shift to the CRA in March 2012.  Every member will have the option of declining a CRA offer in favour of being surplused in accordance with article 20 of the OPSEU collective agreement," OPSEU advises its members.

"This option exists because CRA will not be recognizing your seniority for relative rights like competitions. Your years of service will be recognized for the purpose of things such as benefits, including vacation.  Benefits, sick leave, and long term disability are all defined in the HRA."

Full details are available on the OPSEU website at this web page: Taxing Times.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE