The RMC Principal provided an update (below) on 1 May 2024 after her email sent Tuesday, 23 April 2024, announcing the following changes to our terms and conditions of employment:

• PDA funds cannot be used for travel
• CDARP funds cannot be used for travel

The CMCFA was not consulted on these changes. We were notified on Thursday, 18 April 2024, of Management’s intention to impose these changes. We informed Management at the time that if carried out, these changes to our terms and conditions of employment would constitute an Unfair Labour Practice, as it violates s.107 of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act “Duty to observe terms and conditions” during bargaining. These changes further violate other articles of the UT Collective Agreement, (CA) including article 5 (“Academic Freedom”), article 6 (“Management Rights”), article 8 (“Past Practice”), article 26 (“Joint Consultation”), and Appendix D (“Professional Development Allocation”).

Appendix D expressly identifies “costs associated with conference attendance” as one of the “items that clearly meet the tests” of eligible Professional Development expenses under Appendix D of the CA. Contrary to Management’s view, it makes no difference that the PDA resides in an Appendix of the CA (our salaries are also in an Appendix); the PDA is both part of the CA and a term and condition of employment that is protected by the statutory freeze during bargaining. CDARP funding that was previously approved for research travel is similarly protected by the statutory freeze and Past Practice.

In addition to the Unfair Labour Practice Complaint the CMCFA will file, we encourage UTs to file individual grievances for every instance they are denied the use of PDA or CDARP for travel (where travel was part of the approved CDARP plan). Given that the measures do not in fact save DND any money, since UTs are entitled to the same amount of PDA and CDARP, the CMCFA regards these measures as arbitrary and unreasonable.

Sylvain (Sly) Leblanc

CMCFA Chief Negotiator

———– Update from RMC Principal sent 1 May 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Further to my below message, I would like to provide an update. Effective immediately, all requests for travel using PDA and CDARP funds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as was previously done under the existing processes. Requests that meet the required criteria for use of these funds will be approved.

Please feel free to forward requests to my office. Thank you for your patience and best wishes with your research.