The union representing workers at Transport Canada is raising concerns about a lack of transparency around how the department is restructuring and cutting jobs. The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said that without proper consultation or transparency, workers are forced to make life altering decisions in the dark.
The Government of Canada is aiming to shrink the federal public service by 10 per cent from the 2023-2024 peak by 2028-2029. As of February 11, more than 1,500 employees and about 50 executives at Transport Canada have received letters stating that their position may be affected by workforce adjustments.
At the same time, Transport Canada is undergoing a structural reorganization that will reduce its five administrative regions to three. The concurrent changes have caused concern to rise among workers, the UCTE president said.
“If they’re workforce adjusted, how are they going to be able to feed their families? How are they going to be able to take care of their kids? Their mental health is at play here because of the unknown,” Teresa Eschuk, president of the UCTE, said in an interview with rabble.ca. “I don’t think they [Transport Canada] are being very forthcoming with the employees, or they’re putting too much on them.”
READ MORE: Federal budget cuts to public sector will weaken services, unions warn
Eschuk said employees would benefit from knowing more about the ‘end game’ of these workforce adjustments and reorganizations. She said Transport Canada is calling weekly meetings about workforce adjustment but she would like to know the final number of how many jobs will be cut. In addition, Eschuk said she would want to see a copy of the assessment done to decide where workforce adjustment letters went.
“Employees are being asked to make life altering decisions about their employment future while key information about future organization structures, regional footprints, reporting, relationships and operational models is incomplete,” Eschuk said. “They’ve known for a long time that these cuts were coming. If they’re not prepared, then that’s on them. But don’t put that on the backs of our members.”
Eschuk also raised concerns about the cuts happening within inspection services. Transport Canada inspectors are already spread thin, she said.
In 2023, Canada scored 65.1 out of 100 in an audit of international safety standards performed by the International Civil Aviation Authority. While the aviation authority did not find significant safety concerns, it did recommend Transport Canada set up systems to monitor regulatory compliance by airlines and ensure proper training and fatigue management for air traffic controllers.
Eschuk said she wonders how Transport Canada can prepare to address the shortcomings raised in the audit.
“They really minimized their impact in their inspection process,” Eschuk said. “I have concerns about the audits and the inspections that our members are doing. Twenty years ago, it used to be hands-on, and it really seems that [Transport Canada] are turning to make this into a paper exercise”
In an email sent to rabble, Transport Canada said they will continue to work with bargaining agents to support employees through the changes.
“Transport Canada’s top priority and core mandate remains unchanged – ensuring a safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible transportation system for Canadians,” Transport Canada communications advisor, Sau Sau Liu, wrote in the email. “No safety-critical frontline inspection or enforcement functions are impacted by these reductions, and Transport Canada’s ability to uphold the highest safety standards remains fully intact.”
While Transport Canada asserts that it will work with the bargaining agents and ensure no safety-critical functions are impacted, Eschuk said she still would like to have more transparency from the department. She noted that the Deputy Minister did request a meeting after UCTE put out a press release last Monday, but she felt it was not proactive enough.
“Did it really need to come down to me writing a letter to the deputy minister or to do a press release?” Eschuk said. “That’s what’s not appreciated, right? They keep saying they care about their employees, but they’re not showing it.”
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