With about 150 of Ottawa’s foreign service officers on strike in the 15 largest immigration processing centres — including Beijing, New Delhi, Mexico City and London — would-be visitors face delays and disruptions of their plans while Canada’s economy could take a multi-million-dollar hit.
The output of visas under the current job action will be tens of thousands fewer a week, said Tim Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO).
However, he said a small percentage of applications can be finalized by other staff at the strikebound embassies, and the union has no intention of holding up visas for those visiting Canada for humanitarian reasons.
Edwards also told the Star that PAFSO is engaged in rotating strikes, so it’s impossible to say how long the job action at the 15 largest immigration posts will continue.
At least for now, other visa processing centres where immigration officers have walked out include Abu Dhabi, Ankara, Cairo, Chandigarh (India), Hong Kong, Manila, Moscow, Paris, Riyadh, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.
But, although the union is still willing to enter into binding arbitration, Edwards said there is no indication from Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who is handling the negotiations for the government, of a willingness to resume the bargaining that began in late 2011.
The union argues that foreign service officers’ wages lag behind those of other federal government employees doing similar jobs, in some cases by as much as $14,000 a year.
But the government disputes the union’s claims.
“Foreign service officers have unique jobs that cannot be compared to others. These jobs are substantively different from public service lawyers, economists or commerce officers,” said Matthew Conway, a spokesman for Clement. “We remain open to a resolution that respects the interests of both taxpayers and foreign service union members.”
The government also seems to be focusing on the perception that diplomats have much-sought-after jobs with many more applicants every year than new hires. “The foreign service also has no recruitment or retention issues,” Conway said.
Bargaining has taken on a bitter tinge, with both sides accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith.
PAFSO offered to solve the dispute by submitting to binding arbitration, but Clement came back with six preconditions before the government would do so. One of the preconditions would have blocked the independent arbitrator from reaching any conclusions based on wage comparisons among different public service ranks.
The union said such a precondition nullified the whole point of arbitration. “They were attempting to stack the deck heavily in their favour,” Edwards said. “It’s like being invited to a poker game, and your host says, ‘Oh, but I get to start with three aces in my hand.’ ”
Clement is talking tough, blasting PAFSO for revealing details of the negotiations and saying, “I will not fold like a $3 suitcase.”
But he also said the government “will continue to bargain in good faith and welcome constructive efforts to reach a timely and reasonable settlement.”
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is working to process as many visa applications as possible. New staff are being hired and employees in visa processing centres are being asked to work overtime, a departmental spokesperson said.
But, with the strike, anyone seeking a visa is being urged to submit the application as early as possible.
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Les Whittington
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