[Canada] Phoenix payroll system errors continue 6 years on

Monday (February 28) was the sixth anniversary of the Phoenix payroll system’s introduction in Canada. The system has been infamous for its failures since its launch and the main union of federal civil servants says the backlog number has actually increased since the pandemic to reach 141,000, OI Canadian reports.

In a letter sent to its members, Chris Aylward - National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) - said, “Since the launch of Phoenix in 2016, there has not been a single payroll without a major error. Not one.

“While the biggest pay issues are largely a thing of the past for federal public servants, they have been replaced by something less serious, but more sneaky. Many workers have the impression of suffering the ordeal of the drop of water. Pay after pay, they notice minor but annoying problems and come to wonder if there is indeed an error, or if they are imagining things. They then have to wait on the phone for hours trying to sort things out, months before they receive a follow-up, and years before their issues are resolved.”

The union leader is returning to the charge with his request to obtain a national public inquiry into the failures of Phoenix.

The Phoenix system is reportedly considered a national disgrace for which many leaders bear the blame; from the Conservative government of Stephen Harper who created it to the Trudeau administrationwho hastily put it in place.

A further excerpt from Chris Aylward's letter reads:

“Full light will never be shed on the extent of this monumental disaster and its consequences for public servants and taxpayers without a national public inquiry. This is the only way to hold the government accountable for its mistakes and ensure that they are never repeated.”

Before the introduction of Phoenix, each department processed payroll for its own employees, with the assistance of 2,000 compensation advisors for 101 departments and agencies.

The Harper government believed centralising payroll with the commercial system would save $70 million a year. Public Services and Procurement Canada had therefore hired IBM to help it design, implement, integrate and deploy Phoenix, the Auditor General said in his 2017 report.

In the report, the Auditor General estimated that “as of June 30, 2017, the amount resulting from payroll errors that remained to be reimbursed or paid amounted to more than 520 million”. The bill has only continued to climb.

The PSAC has since reportedly negotiated a general compensation of $2,500 for its members, at $1,000 for 2016-2017, then $500 for each of the 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 fiscal years.

Other compensation

Because Phoenix’s problems have persisted, the Alliance wants to start talks with the Treasury Board to get another compensation for its members.

The federal government has finally resigned itself and has already announced the replacement of Phoenix. It has not yet been disclosed which system will be introduced.

“As the government will not launch its next pay system for several years, it is not tomorrow that federal civil servants will see the light at the end of the tunnel”, Mr Aylward said.

The Alliance is calling on the federal government to hire more compensation advisors to manage pay issues as they arise.

In Quebec, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is affiliated with the FTQ.

Source: OI Canadian

(Quotes via original reporting)

Monday (February 28) was the sixth anniversary of the Phoenix payroll system’s introduction in Canada. The system has been infamous for its failures since its launch and the main union of federal civil servants says the backlog number has actually increased since the pandemic to reach 141,000, OI Canadian reports.

In a letter sent to its members, Chris Aylward - National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) - said, “Since the launch of Phoenix in 2016, there has not been a single payroll without a major error. Not one.

“While the biggest pay issues are largely a thing of the past for federal public servants, they have been replaced by something less serious, but more sneaky. Many workers have the impression of suffering the ordeal of the drop of water. Pay after pay, they notice minor but annoying problems and come to wonder if there is indeed an error, or if they are imagining things. They then have to wait on the phone for hours trying to sort things out, months before they receive a follow-up, and years before their issues are resolved.”

The union leader is returning to the charge with his request to obtain a national public inquiry into the failures of Phoenix.

The Phoenix system is reportedly considered a national disgrace for which many leaders bear the blame; from the Conservative government of Stephen Harper who created it to the Trudeau administrationwho hastily put it in place.

A further excerpt from Chris Aylward's letter reads:

“Full light will never be shed on the extent of this monumental disaster and its consequences for public servants and taxpayers without a national public inquiry. This is the only way to hold the government accountable for its mistakes and ensure that they are never repeated.”

Before the introduction of Phoenix, each department processed payroll for its own employees, with the assistance of 2,000 compensation advisors for 101 departments and agencies.

The Harper government believed centralising payroll with the commercial system would save $70 million a year. Public Services and Procurement Canada had therefore hired IBM to help it design, implement, integrate and deploy Phoenix, the Auditor General said in his 2017 report.

In the report, the Auditor General estimated that “as of June 30, 2017, the amount resulting from payroll errors that remained to be reimbursed or paid amounted to more than 520 million”. The bill has only continued to climb.

The PSAC has since reportedly negotiated a general compensation of $2,500 for its members, at $1,000 for 2016-2017, then $500 for each of the 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 fiscal years.

Other compensation

Because Phoenix’s problems have persisted, the Alliance wants to start talks with the Treasury Board to get another compensation for its members.

The federal government has finally resigned itself and has already announced the replacement of Phoenix. It has not yet been disclosed which system will be introduced.

“As the government will not launch its next pay system for several years, it is not tomorrow that federal civil servants will see the light at the end of the tunnel”, Mr Aylward said.

The Alliance is calling on the federal government to hire more compensation advisors to manage pay issues as they arise.

In Quebec, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is affiliated with the FTQ.

Source: OI Canadian

(Quotes via original reporting)