Latest news with #PIPSC
Cision Canada
02-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
CRPEG and CNL reach tentative agreement, strike action suspended
Nuclear scientists and engineers secure gains after historic five-day strike CHALK RIVER, ON, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ - The Chalk River Professional Employee Group (CRPEG)—represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)—has reached a tentative agreement with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), bringing the historic labour dispute to a potential resolution. The tentative agreement was reached Friday, June 27, at approximately 3:30 PM. Strike action has been suspended pending a ratification vote by CRPEG's 800+ nuclear scientists and engineers, tentatively scheduled for July 8, 2025. The CRPEG bargaining team will recommend ratification of the tentative agreement. "Our members stood together and showed the power of organized labour," said CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick. "This tentative agreement demonstrates what workers can achieve when they unite for fair treatment and recognition of their professional value." The tentative agreement includes meaningful improvements over CNL's previous offers, including: $2 million one-time increase to the company-wide benefits program (up from $1.75 million), benefiting all CNL employees $1,700 lump sum payment to all CRPEG members 10.5% salary increases over three years with improved distribution (4.0% in 2024, 4.0% in 2025, and 2.5% in 2026) The five-day selective strike marked the first PIPSC strike action in over 30 years and had a significant operational impact on CNL, affecting tritium facility operations, reactor surveillance work, commercial projects, and regulatory compliance functions. The strike demonstrated the critical importance of CRPEG members' work in ensuring nuclear reactor safety, managing radioactive waste, and conducting nuclear medicine research that serves all Canadians. While vacation leave has been reinstated, PIPSC's unfair labour practice complaint regarding CNL's retaliatory cancellation of pre-approved vacation continues to move forward through the Canada Industrial Relations Board. "Despite facing surveillance intimidation tactics and cancellation of vacation leave, CRPEG members stayed strong and professional," said PIPSC President Sean O'Reilly. The tentative agreement follows 17 months of negotiations that began when the previous collective agreement expired on December 31, 2023. CRPEG members commenced strike action on May 26, 2025, after declaring an impasse in negotiations. They resumed strike action on June 23, after rejecting a settlement offer from CNL.
Cision Canada
29-04-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
You Can't Cut Your Way to Confidence: PIPSC Calls for Investment in Public Services After Election Français
OTTAWA, ON, /CNW/ - The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) congratulates the Liberal Party of Canada on winning the most seats in the 2025 federal election. While it appears no party earned a majority of seats or the popular vote, all now share the responsibility of delivering for Canadians. In a Parliament without a clear mandate, the message from voters is unmistakable: Canadians want action that protects Canada's future and improves their day-to-day lives—not partisan bickering or short-sighted cuts. Any party looking to hold onto power must demonstrate concrete progress on affordability, opportunity, and quality of life. "At a time when Canadians are anxious about tariffs, affordability and rising costs, we need to strengthen what supports them—not weaken it," said Sean O'Reilly, President of PIPSC. "This means investing in the public services they rely on. You can't balance the books on the backs of the people who keep this country running – and you can't cut your way to confidence in the House." As the new government takes shape, all parties must resist the urge to scapegoat public services as a way to manage fiscal pressures. Public servants have always been there for Canadians—in crises, recovery, and uncertainty. The services they deliver provide stability and a lifeline in the toughest times. Cutting them won't solve our challenges; it will only make them worse. Instead, the new government must make choices that reflect the needs of Canadians and protect our long-term interests – including properly resourcing the CRA to crack down on corporate tax evasion and putting an end to wasteful outsourcing. These are resources that could help shoulder the economic burdens we face, yet continue to drain billions from the public purse. "PIPSC stands ready to work with this government—and with all parties in Parliament—to ensure public policy is driven by facts, fairness, and a commitment to the public good," continued O'Reilly. "And we are equally prepared to defend our members and the services they provide if they are targeted by short-sighted efficiency stunts." Given renewed threats from the U.S.—not just in the form of tariffs, but in rhetoric that challenges our very sovereignty—the government must remember what sets Canada apart: a deep commitment to strong public institutions, universal social programs like healthcare, and public services that benefit everyone. These are not costs to be cut; they are core to who we are.
