technical inspectors

Letter to Minister Cannon

The following letter is an example of a letter sent in response to a letter received from Minister Cannon, addressing issues of concern to Maintenance and Manufacturing TIs.

Members can download and print their own version that they can then sent to the Minister.

January 29, 2007
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Tower C - 330 Sparks St.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0N5

Dear Mr. Cannon,

Thank you for your December 29, 2006 response to our previous letter concerning inequitable pay practices that exist within Transport Canada Civil Aviation.

I wish to first point out some inaccuracies in your correspondence, notably your reference to providing resolution of our concerns through collective bargaining.  As you may be aware, classification provides a basis for the compensation of Public Service employees and is the responsibility of Treasury Board.  The Treasury Board is required to ensure that the classification system establishes the relative value of all work in the Public Service in an equitable, consistent, efficient and effective manner.

Carole McGetrick, Transport Canada, Manager Human Resource Services – PNR, Organization, Classification & Staffing Policy in a recent email, provides the following:

“…The Classification process, including that related to Classification Grievances, however, is excluded from the collective bargaining process and therefore not governed by the specific collective agreement…”

The problem referred to in our original letter has existed for over 15 years and everyone associated with it recognizes that archaic classification standards, in existence since the 1960’s, are the root cause of the problem.

What we have been seeking is a classification conversion.  A classification conversion is a change made in the method of establishing the relative value of work and should result in a new pay structure for the Technical Inspection occupational group. 

The Secretary of the Treasury Board must declare such a change, as classification conversion is not within the mandate of collective bargaining.

In addition to failures within the classification system, there continues to be professional discrimination between occupational groups within Transport Canada’s civil aviation inspector ranks.
I am sure you are aware that Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors in Aircraft Maintenance and Manufacturing are required to hold a license, and that they are instrumental in the issuance, management, and oversight of every commercial air operator’s certificate, approved maintenance organization, approved manufacturer, approved training organization and approved parts distributor in Canada.  As such, there is no denying the impact they have on safety in every aspect of aviation in Canada.

Our Inspector colleagues in Commercial and Business Aviation and General Aviation who are required to hold a license, and who are paid more while holding far fewer delegated authorities, are only involved with air operators and some training organizations. As a result, their activities have less impact on safety within the Canadian aviation system.

Aviation safety in Canada is a success largely due to the continued hard work of all Inspectors throughout Transport Canada. To move forward to greater success, the inspectors you have organized into separate groups must now work together closer than ever to ensure the aviation safety system functions at the highest levels attainable. The main impediment to the successes to be achieved by working together is pay inequality amongst the occupational groups.

In order for the future of the aviation safety system in Canada to be a success, you must direct the changes required to remove the injustice of paying less for my work than for the work of my colleagues.
The problems with recruitment and retention of professionals in this field will not be resolved through band-aid measures such as terminable allowances.  We must have a classification standard that adequately addresses all of our combined issues.

The following is a quote from the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada related to the “Vision for Classification”,

“We believe that a modern job classification system lies at the heart of seamless, integrated, and progressive human resources management. It is a system with direct linkages to performance management, competency development practices, and compensation- a system that evaluates work in the public service effectively, reflects Labour market realities, and treats men and women equitably.”

We are asking that you support our initiative and appoint a Champion within the department to assist us, and our Union, in the development of a timely solution to our mutual problems.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Respectfully