Border Services Agents and Federal Government reach contract agreement

Canada's CBSA workers have a new deal ready to be ratified, the contract
negotiations with the Federal Government spanned a period of four years.

Those CBSA Agents who tend to the Port of Call at the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal, Northland Cruise Terminal, Seal Cove and the Container Facilities at Fairview and Ridley Island go to work this week with a new bargaining agreement almost in place, with all but the ratification process required for the new deal which mostly covers the last four years retroactively.

The Customs and Immigration Union outlined the terms of the new deal late last week, noting that the success at the bargaining table came after four years of talks, two court challenges, a charter challenge, several unfair labour practice charges and the mobilization of workers.

The agreement came after a full week of non-stop negotiations and delivered a 17.5% increase to the job rate over four years. Along with a range of other increases spread out over the four year retroactive period to 2014, the new deal hosts new protections in Discipline, Sick Leave, Annual leave.

The main thrust of the negotiations was to bring CBSA officers closer  of other law enforcement agencies such as the RCMP and Corrections Canada, the union has claimed that prior to the new deal those working for CBSA were paid up to 12,000 dollars less than the other agencies.

The full overview of the new contract can be reviewed here.

The deal covers the period of 2014-2018 and has an expiry date of June 21st of this year, with the new contract to set the table for future negotiations.

It's estimated that close to 200 workers are employed at CBSA functions in Northern British Columbia, with much of that work taking place in Prince Rupert at a range of facilities around the city.

For more items related to labour issues in the region see our archive page here.


Cross posted from the North Coast Review