Union agreements blamed for continued payroll issues

Public service pay system Phoenix seeing new load of backlogged problem files

OTTAWA— Repairing the federal government’s public service pay system is a top priority, the newly minted minister responsible for the Phoenix payroll service insisted Monday, just hours after her department revealed that a backlog of problem pay files has grown over the last several weeks.

“The prime minister has given me, made this a priority for me, in our discussions already and I look forward to being briefed and working to remedy this as soon as possible for public servants who have been waiting so long to get this fixed,” Carla Qualtrough said shortly after being named public services and procurement minister.

The number of pay transactions carried out through the Phoenix pay system that went beyond normal processing times increased by 9,000 from July 26 to 237,000 after two months of decline, according to the newly released figures.

As part of a cabinet shuffle Monday, the prime minister announced Qualtrough would replace Judy Foote. who resigned from the portfolio last week.

Officials blamed the increase on the need to shift pay system employees to handling pay changes resulting from the ratification of several big public service contracts, many of which went into effect in late June.

“This increase was expected as we focused our efforts on ensuring employees are paid what they are owed as a result of recent collective agreements and within legislated timelines,” said a statement from the department.

The19 collective agreements signed so far — with another eight to come — require the government to make retroactive payments, enact salary increases and pay other allowances negotiated as part of the new contracts, all within legislated timelines.