Montreal, November 18, 2008

MEMORANDUM

To: All Quebec Region employees

Subject: PILOT PROJECT ON WRITING WORK DESCRIPTIONS FOR OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMS SUPPORT JOBS (CR GROUP) – QUEBEC REGION

______________________________________________________________________

On March 19, 2008, we sent you a memorandum on the implementation of the above-mentioned pilot project. Many months have since gone by, and we thought this would be the right time to bring you up to speed on the activities of the regional committee created to deliver the pilot project, as well as the next steps. The regional committee is made up of the following: Mario d’Almeida (Airports District), Pierre Fontaine (Montérégie District), Paula-Marie Beaudoin (Airports District), Liette Boudreau (East Border District), Danielle Serret (Trade Services Division), Anne-Marie Signori (Enforcement) and me.

 The committee’s main mandate was to write generic work descriptions using the abbreviated format for operations and programs support positions (CR group). To complete this mandate, committee members have been working with Suzanne Leblanc (retired contract worker with extensive classification experience) and members of the management teams. This exercise has enabled us to review the content of existing work descriptions and assess the similarities and differences between them so as to effectively merge them where possible. Throughout the process, the regional contact from the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU)—formerly the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA)—Jacques Lafleur, has been kept abreast of the major steps. We are now finalizing the writing and validation steps.

 The next phase consists in presenting a proposal to the Regional Human Resources Committee (RHRC) and then to the Quebec Region Directorate Committee (QRDC). Once the directors have approved the final drafts, the proposed work descriptions will be sent to National Headquarters so that the review process and consultations with the regions can begin.

 To avoid any confusion, I feel it is important to specify that this exercise does not concern administrative assistant positions and their direct support. These positions are currently being reviewed as part of the National Administrative Function Review, which is being managed by National Headquarters.

 I would like to point out that all committee members are aware of employee concerns and the issues related to this exercise. We hope to be able to present a product to National Headquarters in early 2009.

 If you have any questions about this project, please ask your managers.

Chantal Laurin

Acting Director, Human Resources Division

Canadian Border Services Agency

Quebec Region