2023 Appendix H Activation Request
Publish date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
GLP - Government Licensed Professionals
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
Appendix H Activation
In this section
The PEA was formed in 1974, by a group of professionals working in the public sector. The story goes that the founders of the union mortgaged their houses to fund negotiations of the union’s first collective agreement.
Now, the PEA is BC’s union for professionals. We represent a wide range of professionals including lawyers, foresters, engineers, agrologists, teachers, veterinarians, fundraisers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists program managers, librarians and more.
Our union is led by the PEA Executive. They represent members from across the chapters of the PEA and set the overall vision and direction for our union.
Resources for our members
Navigating a union can sometime be a challenging process. Under this section of the website you will find resources to help you navigate the PEA. In the members section you'll find expense claim reimbursements, information on the PEA's scholarship and bursary program and our grants and donations program.
Collective bargaining and job action resources explain the process of collective bargaining and what to do in the unlikely event of job action.
Local reps can also find resources to help them complete their job more effectively. This includes ways to welcome new members, how to take notes in investigation disciplinary meetings and more.
The heart of our union
The PEA is made up of nine chapters, or groups of members who either work for the same employer or are in the same field of work. Each chapter has an elected executive tasked with running the affairs of the chapter. Each chapter is entitled to representation at the PEA Executive, the governing body of the union.
Our members work for a range of employers: the Province of BC, the University of Victoria, St. Margaret's School, the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Law Society of BC, Legal Services Society, the Okangan Regional Library and health authorities across BC.
Professionals need unions now more then ever
Since the 1970’s, when the PEA was formed, our mission has been to ensure our members can work in safe, productive environments and receive fair and reasonable wages and benefits for the valuable work they do. We help individuals and groups of professional workers to understand the challenges they face in their workplaces and some of the solutions available to them.
We work with potential members to become certified as a union and achieve the wages, benefits and respect they deserve.
