2023 Appendix H Activation Request

The following letter was sent to Tara Richards, Deputy Minister, Emergency Management BC on July 18, 2023 requesting that Appendix H be activated. We received the attached response on July 28, 2023 notifying us that Appendix H had been retroactively activated. 

Dear Ms. Tara Richards, Deputy Minister, Emergency Management BC

Our union continues to receive questions from our Government Licensed Professionals (GLP) regarding whether Appendix H (Leave for Meritorious Service) of the current GLP-PSA Collective Agreement had been activated in support of forest fire emergency response. Our members are very experienced in providing support during emergencies and bring professional, technical, and administrative skill sets that are necessary to support provincial emergencies. Appendix H was activated in previous years and our members responded to the request to join TEAMS.

We are asking that Appendix H again be officially activated via written approval so that our members can support this provincial emergency. As per Appendix H, the following guidelines establish the government’s approach to granting regular full-time GLP members leave for meritorious service in response to emergencies:

“If the deputy minister responsible for the Provincial Emergency Program, in consultation with the deputies of the ministries directly impacted by an emergency situation, gives written approval to activate the recognition process regular full-time professional employees who perform duties outside their normal responsibilities will earn leave entitlement calculated on the following basis:

• One hour for every hour worked above and beyond normal work hours during the regular work week; and one hour for every hour worked on a day of rest.”

In addition to activating Appendix H, we also ask the province to recognize and consider revaluating the above compensation structure of Appendix H which is unfair relative to the overtime compensation for BCGEU members. Such compensation discourages professionals from responding to calls for participation on TEAMS and makes it challenging for the province to respond during emergency situations.

Thank you,

Scott McCannel
Executive Director