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PSU Alleges PACT Firings, PACT Says Not
posted (January 24, 2018)
One week after the Protected Area Conservation Trust's embarked on an unusual and dramatic re-structuring - The Public Service Union has spoken up. As we told you - all the employees - who number fewer than 10 - were sent home on January 16th - and told to come back and accept or reject new terms of employment. Sounded to us like a downsizing and pay-cutting exercise, but the Ministry's CEO Percival Cho assured us it was not.

But the PSU sent out a release today saying, quote, "despite assertions to the contrary by (the) CEO, the PSU has been reliably informed that staff members of PACT have been terminated as a direct result of an ongoing exercise," end quote. The release adds, quote, "the union has also learnt that the remaining staff were summoned to the office to sign contracts by the close of workday, yesterday…or to risk continued employment with the organization," end quote. The PSU also speaks about, quote, "shoddy and completely unlawful treatment of workers," and says that there was "coercion" to sign contracts.

Well, PACT snapped back this evening, saying, quote, "employees were given paid leave and a copy of the draft contract to aid them in their consultation and consideration of the new terms which to date they have all voluntarily accepted; some employees doing so as soon as the day after being notified. PACT received no objections from employees to signing their contracts of service. In response to the Public Service Union's allegation, no staff member was summoned to the office to sign contracts. Neither was any staff member forcefully coerced to sign contracts."

PACT adds that it informed the the Union, which represents some of its employees beforehand of the transition.

But, above all the chatter at the official level - we did speak independently to three employees today. They told us they all got pay raises - but had to accept a new term of employment - which now has them working under a three year contract - with increments granted only on an appraisal - and not an automatic basis. They told us that they all willingly accepted this - instead of a full severance package which they were also offered. they say they were into coerced in any way - and seems to resent the suggestion. However, these did agree that a minority of employees were, quote, "not too thrilled about working under a contract."

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