September 28, 2020
NAV Canada’s Wage Deferral Request
As has been communicated over the past month and as per the LOU signed in April which deferred our salary increases until September 30th, NAV Canada approached all unions on August 27th and initiated discussions requesting further assistance in dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 situation. The August 27th request from NAV Canada included the following;
- Forego the retroactive payment for April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020,
- Forego retroactive payment and the 3% salary increase for 2020, and
- Forego the 3% salary increase for 2021.
Over the last month, senior leadership from the company and the CATCA Executive Board met to discuss the requests made by NAV Canada. There have been many ideas exchanged and significant amounts of debate focusing on the economic impact this pandemic was having on the company and the many changes coming to NAV Canada, some of which were announced on September 22nd. Additionally, last Wednesday, the Government of Canada announced an extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program which could potentially continue to provide economic assistance to NAV Canada. Complete details have not been released at this time; therefore, it remains uncertain as to whether the company will be eligible to utilize this continued government assistance. With this in mind and after careful consideration and deliberation, the CATCA Executive Board was unable to reach any sort of agreement to extend the Wage Deferral LOU.
CATCA is not blind to the devastating effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the aviation industry. We are only as strong as our industry. For these reasons, we have informed NAV Canada that we are open to continued meaningful discussions towards finding effective solutions to assist our company in navigating these difficult times. We will continue to update the membership as these talks progress.
NAV Canada advised CATCA on Friday that all retroactive pay and salary increases with the exception of retroactive overtime, allowances, premiums, leave payouts and some top ups will be on your cheques this Wednesday, September 30. The outstanding retroactive amounts will be received by members not later than November 25th. We would ask for the understanding of all members due to the circumstances. The NAV Canada payroll department has had no relief for many months due to all the extraordinary changes which have occurred this year. All the different payouts such as ERI, involuntary layoffs and employee terminations have strained company resources. We are told they are working diligently to process and complete all changes.
It was a difficult week for CATCA. The loss of over 150 members is unprecedented, sorrowful and unfortunate. It is important to note that the company’s request for deferrals and the workforce adjustment announcements last week were separate issues. We are continuing to work with the company in creating ways to bring some of our affected members back as soon as possible.
In Solidarity,
Doug Best Scott Loder
President Executive Vice President
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