Vacation Leave

Further to the December 6th myAECL Information for Employees regarding Excess Vacation, CRPEG members are reminded that employees have four options on use of excess vacation credits:

  1. Use excess vacation credits prior to March 31st
  2. Request an extension beyond March 31st
  3. Request a conversion of excess vacation credits to sick leave
  4. Request a cash pay-out of excess vacation

The CRPEG Executive does not recommend options 3 or 4.  We recommend that all members plan to use their vacation credits to periodically refresh themselves and provide a balance between work and family.  If you feel that operational expectations do not permit you to plan to take all your earned vacation during the year, then consult a Steward for assistance.

AECL Vacation policy RCW-2.37 does not allow management to direct employees to take vacation.  Employees request vacation leave and management approves the request based on operational needs.  Nor is the policy “use it or lose it”.  Vacation credits are earned and cannot be lost or taken away.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

 

Severance Pay Frequently Asked Questions

SEVERANCE PAY

PAYMENT PROCESS

Your tentative collective agreement contains the new provisions on severance that end accumulation of voluntary severance and provide for pay out of existing severance entitlements.  You should have received your statement indicating the number of weeks of voluntary severance, and the monetary value calculated based on your salary as of 2012 June 30.  Also included in the package is a form for selecting which option, as well as a form for transferring funds to your RRSP.

ROLL-OVER PROCESS FOR PAYMENTS INTO RRSP

There is a process through the Employer for rolling over payments in lieu of severance pay into RRSPs.  Please refer to the recent bulletin on myAECL at  http://myaecl/News/Company_News_2012/Info_update_Elimination_of_VTC.htm.

The employer will provide all employees with a copy of the form required to be completed and returned to the employer if they want to proceed with the roll-over

Only in cases of deferring the severance payment until retirement, an employee may benefit from a special RRSP contribution, which is not affected by your RRSP cap, of an additional $2000 for each year of employment up to and including 1995. This special provision can only be used upon termination and cannot be used for a payment in lieu of severance. You should consult the latest Canada Revenue Agency Income Tax Interpretation Bulletin IT-337R4 on severance (Retiring Allowances) for complete details and paragraph 60(j.1) of the Income Tax Act.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. What is this “severance deal”

A: Currently, most collective agreements with Treasury Board or Separate Employers provide for severance benefits for voluntary and involuntary termination. In this round of bargaining the Government has made it a priority to remove Voluntary severance provisions from collective agreements. This affects severance entitlements for resignation and retirement. Under this scheme accumulation of severance will cease for these voluntary departure situations effective the date of signing of the collective agreement. Severance entitlement will continue to accrue for involuntary termination such as lay off, death or incapacity. All indeterminate and term employees will be eligible for a termination benefit equal to one week of pay for each year of continuous employment.

Q. What are my options?

A: There are three options:
1. Cash out the severance pay you’ve accumulated right away at one week of pay for each year of employment, or
2. Defer the payment of the accumulated severance and have it paid out at retirement or when you resign, or
3. Cash out part of the accumulated severance pay immediately and defer the remainder to be paid when you either retire or resign.

Pay outs, whether immediate or deferred, are calculated based on your substantive rate of pay either as of 2012 June 30 or at the time of termination of employment with AECL.

Q. I am looking to have some of my severance cashed out this year. When will it be paid?

A: The Employer will try to issue payments in a timely fashion. Keep in mind that the earlier you make your decision, the earlier your payment will be made.

Q. What if I have pensionable service I would like to buy-back with my severance pay?

A. If you would like to buy-back previous service you need to be in contact with the Public Service Pension Centre who can provide all the necessary information.

Q. I am thinking of depositing some of my payout into a Tax Free Savings Account. What do I do?

A. Deposits to a Tax Free Savings Account are not tax deductible. Contributions to such accounts are made after income tax has been deducted

Q. I want to place part or all of my payout into my RRSP. How do I do that?

A. The employer has included this information with your statement. You need to make sure you have the available RRSP contribution room. Once that is confirmed you will need to fill out the form provided by The Employer. If you do not provide a valid Tax Waiver Form, the employer will be required to withhold income tax based on the value of your severance payout.

Q. I don’t believe that my continuous employment date has been properly calculated. Is there something I can do?

A. What you need to do is contact Payroll or Compensation & Benefits. It may simply be a miscalculation based on misinformation. If you think it is more likely a misinterpretation of the rules governing the calculation of continuous employment, contact a local steward or Employment Relations Officer for assistance.

Q. I am currently receiving disability benefits. Will taking my severance pay out affect my benefits?

A. No, receiving your severance pay out will not affect your disability benefits.

Q. If I am on Maternity or Parental Leave, will taking my severance pay out affect my EI entitlements?

A. Receiving any money while receiving Maternity or Parental Benefits under EI can affect your entitlements. If you are on Maternity or Parental Leave, you are entitled to defer your severance payout until you return to work. You should discuss this decision with Payroll.

Q. If I am on leave or in an Acting Position in another bargaining unit, will I have to choose what to do with my severance immediately?

A. No. The Employer will present you with the options for your severance entitlement when you return to your substantive position in the bargaining unit affected by the new severance regime.

Q. If I take my severance pay out now, will it have an impact if I get laid off in the future?

A. Yes, if you take your severance pay out now, should you be laid off in the future your lay off severance entitlement will be reduced by the period for which you took the pay out. If you defer the severance pay out, your lay off severance will not be reduced.

IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE REFER TO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE EMPLOYER OR THE PIPSC WEBSITE AT www.pipsc.ca.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) gratefully acknowledges the work of the Public Service Alliance of Canada in developing many of these FAQs.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

PIPSC AGM

The PIPSC AGM was held in Ottawa on November 16-17, 2012.  4 CRPEG members were in attendance at the AGM.

CRPEG Members in Attendance At PIPSC Rally On Parliament Hill November 16, 2012 – Left to Right: David Wang, Raghu Rao, Henrik Andersen, and Vince Frisina.

As part of the AGM, a rally was also held at Parliament Hill on November 16.  Speakers were Gary Corbett (PIPSC President), Debi Daviau (PIPSC Vice President), PSAC, CLC, and CAW Union Presidents, a NDP MP and a Liberal MP.  The rally made the press so there was lots of free media attention.

Picture taken at PIPSC Rally on Parliament Hill on November 16, 2012.

Further information on the AGM may be found at the PIPSC website at this link.

PIPSC Elections

The PIPSC elections are now in progress and you might have received mail from PIPSC on how to vote electronically using the ballots. Online voting instructions have been e-mailed to you by PIPSC for your convenience.  Please keep in mind that the deadline for online voting is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

Should you require any assistance, please contact Tammy Roussel at 1-800-267-0446, ext. 2240 or troussel@pipsc.ca.

It important that CRPEG members actively participate in elections and we maintain a good relationship with PIPSC senior officials. This assists the CRPEG Executive sustaining the exceptional professional support we receive from PIPSC specialists for grievances and negotiations.

Note: Ballot counting process:

Voting is by “Ranked Choice Voting”.  The votes will be counted and if a candidate receives a majority he/she wins. If not, the votes received by the candidate who received the least amount of votes will be eliminated and his/her votes will be re-distributed using the second, third and forth choices going to other candidates still in the race until someone wins a majority.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

Recognition of prior service in Canadian Forces

PIPSC/CRPEG has entered into a memorandum of understanding to recognize prior service in Canadian Forces for vacation purposes.  Refer to myAECL 2012 November 8th Information for Employees on for details on Canadian Forces Recognition of prior service.

CRPEG members with prior service in the Canadian Forces should follow the guidelines in the myAECL announcement and self identify themselves to their HR Administrator.  The vacation entitlement is retroactive to 2012 April 01.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

Career and Professional Development (C&PD)

CRPEG Stewards have been receiving many queries in regards to CRPEG Career & Professional Development (C&PD).

Please refer to the CRPEG bulletin of 2012 April 30th and links to CRPEG Career Professional Development Guidelines, and CRPEG Career Professional Development Presentation on myAECL.

Please note that:

  • CRPEG C&PD subtask .8111 is only for CRPEG members.Non-CRPEG staff should not be charging to this subtask. 
  • CRPEG C&PD subtask .8111 is only for mutually-agreed C&PD.
    Unless there is prior agreement between the CRPEG member and their manager that the training opportunity is C&PD (such as an approved travel authorization form), then travel expenses, conference fees, or time should not be charged to the .8111 subtask.  If there is disagreement between the manager and member on whether or not the training opportunity is C&PD, a CRPEG Steward should be contacted for consultation.  Ultimately the member has the right to refuse a C&PD training opportunity if it is not in their agreed 3-yr plan.
  • C&PD is intended to give CRPEG members the opportunity to attend professional development activities such as conferences, conventions, workshops and courses.
    Attending a working group or steering committee meeting may be considered C&PD for junior member becoming familiar with the technical area.  A senior member attending the same meeting would not be considered C&PD.

Other Examples of training which would not be considered C&PD:

  • Basic MS Office Word, Power Point etc.
  • Group 3 Radiation Protection
  • Emergency Steward/Officer in Charge
  • General and Safety Orientation

Please direct any questions regarding Career and Professional Development to the CRPEG Executive or CRPEG stewards.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

 

Retroactive Pay

Retroactive pay from 2011 July 1st to 2012 Sept 7th will appear on your November 15th pay.  This pay includes retroactivity on base salary, overtime and premiums.  Note that your current salary was paid beginning on 2012 September 8th and was reflected on your September 20th pay. The retroactive pay is shown in two components:

  • “RETRO 2011” for retroactivity from 2011 July 1st to 2011 December 31st; and
  • “RETRO CURYR PEN” for retroactivity from 2012 January 1st to 2012 September 7th.

Please check your pay to verify the retroactivity has been calculated correctly.  Contact a CRPEG Steward if you have concerns about the retroactivity.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good
Note:  Link to list of Executive embedded in CRPEG Executive.

Voluntary Termination Compensation

The official signing of the CRPEG collective agreement occurred on 2012 October 25.

Members should expect to see their statement of entitlement from Human Resources within the next 3 months (by 2013 January 25).  Members have 6 months from the date of official signing (2013 April 25) to decide on which option to exercise.  As a reminder, the three options are as follows:

  1. Take it all now at salary rate as of 2012 June 30.
  2. Take it all at retirement or departure from AECL at the salary rate at time of departure.
  3. Take some now and some later.

If you do nothing, then you are deemed to have chosen option 2.

CRPEG does not provide financial advice to members, nor will CRPEG be sponsoring any financial seminars.

The following information is from Canada Revenue Agency (www.cra.gc.ca):

Retiring Allowances:

There are situations when a person can transfer all or part of a retiring allowance to a registered pension plan (RPP) or a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). For more information, go to Transfer of a retiring allowance.

Transfer of a retiring allowance Employees with years of service before 1996 may be able to directly transfer all or part of a retiring allowance to a registered pension plan (RPP) or a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). This part is commonly referred to as the eligible portion or the amount eligible for transfer. A retiring allowance may include an eligible portion and a non-eligible portion.

A retiring allowance may be paid over one or more years. The amounts paid in any particular year may be transferred to an RRSP or an RPP. The amounts transferred cannot exceed the employee’s eligible portion of the retiring allowance minus the eligible portion transferred by you in a prior year.

The amount that is eligible for transfer under section 60(j.1) of the Income Tax Act is limited to:

  • $2,000 for each year or part of a year before 1996 that the employee or former employee worked for you (or a person related to you); plus
  • $1,500 for each year or part of a year before 1989 of that employment in which none of your contributions to the RPP or deferred profit sharing plan (DPSP) were vested in the employee’s name when you paid the retiring allowance. To determine the equivalent number of years of vesting, refer to the terms of the particular plan. The number can be a fraction.

You can only transfer the eligible portion of the retiring allowance under paragraph 60(j.1) of the Act to the employee’s own RRSP or to an RPP under which your employee is the annuitant. The eligible portion cannot be directly transferred to a spousal or common-law partner’s RRSP under paragraph 60(j.1) of the Act. If you transfer the amount to an RPP, you may have to report a pension adjustment (PA). For information, contact your plan administrator.

Your employee may choose not to use all or any portion of the amount eligible for transfer under paragraph 60(j.1) of the Act. If your employee has available RRSP deduction limit, your employee may transfer some or all of the retiring allowance to a spousal or common-law partner RRSP up to his or her RRSP deduction limit.

Your employee may also ask you to transfer some or all of the non-eligible portion of the retiring allowance to his or her RRSP, or to a spousal or common-law partner’s RRSP. The non-eligible portion of a retiring allowance is the amount that exceeds the amount eligible for direct transfer. The part that you transfer cannot be more than the employee’s available RRSP deduction limit for the year.

You do not have to deduct income tax on the amount of eligible retiring allowance that is transferred directly to an employee’s RRSP or to an RPP on behalf of the employee. You also do not have to deduct income tax on any part of the retiring allowance that your employee transfers to a spousal or common-law partner’s RRSP if you have reasonable grounds to believe your employee can deduct the RRSP contribution when filing his or her personal income tax and benefit return. For more information, see the section called “RRSP contributions you withhold from remuneration” in Chapter 5 of Guide T4001, Employers’ Guide – Payroll Deductions and Remittances.

The portion of the retiring allowance paid in each year that is eligible for transfer should be reported in the “Other information” area, using code 66 (code 68 in the case of an Indian). Amounts not eligible for transfer are reported in the “Other information” area using code 67 (code 69 in the case of an Indian). For example, if an employee receives $60,000 payable in instalments of $10,000 over 6 years and has an eligible amount of $40,000, the employee can choose how they want the eligible and non-eligible portions applied to the instalment payments in each year.

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good

President Vince Frisina (DN-44946)
Vice President Jonathan Fitzpatrick (DN-44067)
Chief Steward Wade Mayo (DN-43755)
Treasurer Kristine Drew (DN-45252)
Secretary Raghu Rao (DN-44500)
PIPSC Relations Henrik Andersen (DN-44227)
Negotiations Noel Harrison (DN-46529)
Communications Joe Magill (DN-46886)
Special Assignments John Montin (DN-46339)
Member at Large Matt Crowe (DN-43659)
Member at Large William Visneski (DN-46327)
Member at Large David Wang (DN-46590)

CRPEG Stewards:

Trevor Dykman (DN-43110)
Phyllis Heeney (DN-46899)
Pankaj Panchal (DN-46655)
Bill Richmond (DN-43860)
Curtis Russell (DN-46759)
Jonathan Williams (DN-43051)
 Note:  All members of the Executive and Members at Large are also CRPEG Stewards.

CRPEG Members At Large

The CRPEG Executive would like to welcome three new Members at Large.   The Executive appoints Members at Large to participate in Executive meetings and discussions in a non-voting capacity.  This provides members the opportunity to be more engaged in Executive and Steward activities to support the membership.

New Members at Large:

  • Matt Crowe
  • Bill Visneski
  • David Wang

CRPEG Executive
Working Together For The Public Good

President Vince Frisina (DN-44946)
Vice President Jonathan Fitzpatrick (DN-44067)
Chief Steward Wade Mayo (DN-43755)
Treasurer Kristine Drew (DN-45252)
Secretary Raghu Rao (DN-44500)
PIPSC Relations Henrik Andersen (DN-44227)
Negotiations Noel Harrison (DN-46529)
Communications Joe Magill (DN-46886)
Special Assignments John Montin (DN-46339)
Member at Large Matt Crowe (DN-43659)
Member at Large William Visneski (DN-46327)
Member at Large David Wang (DN-46590)

CRPEG Stewards:

Trevor Dykman (DN-43110)
Phyllis Heeney (DN-46899)
Pankaj Panchal (DN-46655)
Bill Richmond (DN-43860)
Curtis Russell (DN-46759)
Jonathan Williams (DN-43051)
 Note:  All members of the Executive and Members at Large are also CRPEG Stewards.

New CRPEG Website

CRPEG has switched to a new service provider and changed its web site.  The new web site uses open source blogging software available at WordPress.org.  We hope you like the new look and feel of the web site.

The website address remains the same – www.crpeg.ca.  Comments and suggestions about the web site can be emailed to crpeg@crpeg.ca or the webmaster Bill Richmond at DN 43860.