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SECTION II:  ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITY BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

Detailed Analysis by Program Activity

The Board has one strategic outcome and one program activity, under which fall three distinct areas of service: adjudication services, mediation services and compensation analysis and research services. The Board’s program and services are carried out in support of harmonious labour relations in the federal public service and in the institutions of Parliament.

Description of Program Activity

Adjudication services

Board members render decisions on complaints and labour relations applications, and act as adjudicators in grievance hearings under the PSLRA and the PESRA.

Grievances (individual, group or policy) cover:

  • interpretation of collective agreements and arbitral awards;
  • disciplinary action resulting in termination, demotion, suspension or financial penalty;
  • demotion or termination for unsatisfactory performance or for any other non-disciplinary reasons; and
  • deployment without an employee’s consent.

Complaints cover:

  • unfair labour practices; and
  • reprisal actions taken for raising an issue under Part II of the Canada Labour Code.

Applications cover:

  • certification and revocation of certification;
  • determination of successor rights;
  • determination of managerial or confidential positions;
  • determination of essential services agreements;
  • review of prior PSLRB decisions; and
  • requests for extensions of time to present grievances or to refer grievances to adjudication.

Mediation services

The Board provides a range of mediation services, which include:

  • assisting parties through conciliation and arbitration in the negotiation and renewal of collective agreements;
  • assisting parties in handling issues arising from the implementation of collective agreements;
  • helping parties work together to resolve grievances and complaints and thus avoid a formal adjudication hearing.

The Board offers a two-and-a-half-day interactive training session at the national level on interest-based negotiations and mediation, which is geared specifically to labour relations in the federal public service. The high demand for such training, along with the joint union-management approach used, makes this training program a unique and critical activity for the Board’s clients.

Compensation analysis and research services

The Board is charged with establishing and delivering a compensation analysis and research function that will generate compensation data to be used by parties engaged in the collective bargaining and compensation determination processes in the federal public service as well as by other public and private organizations and individuals.

Specifically, the PSLRB will collect, analyse and disseminate impartial, accurate and timely information on rates of pay, employee earnings, conditions of employment, benefits and related practices prevailing in the public and private sectors to meet the needs of bargaining agents and employers in the Public Service of Canada.  The survey and research results, aggregated to protect the confidentiality of respondents, will be disseminated to the more than 50 parties to the collective bargaining process in the federal public service, as well as to other public sector institutions, private sector organizations and the general public.

Other services

As required by the PSLRA, the Board provides physical and administrative support services to the National Joint Council (NJC), an independent consultative body of employer and employee representatives. The NJC exists to determine public service-wide issues that do not lend themselves to unit-by-unit bargaining. The Board houses the NJC but plays no direct role in its operation.

Under an agreement with the Yukon government, the Board administers the collective bargaining and grievance adjudication systems under the Yukon Education Labour Relations Act and the Yukon Public Service Labour Relations Act. When performing these functions funded by the Yukon government, the Board acts as the Yukon Teachers Labour Relations Board and the Yukon Public Service Labour Relations Board, respectively.

Performance Measurement Framework

The Board’s performance measurement framework was developed and finalized in 2007-2008. Data sources to measure performance will include the triennial Client Satisfaction Survey, the new case management system, service-specific databases and manual data collection. Initial data collection will begin in 2008-2009 and will be developed in the years ahead, as the new case management system expands the potential for automated data collection.

The measures related to client satisfaction will be measured in 2010 with the next Client Satisfaction Survey (CSS) and be reported in 2011.


Program Activity: Adjudication, mediation, and compensation analysis and research
Expected results Key performance indicators, targets and dates to achieve targets
Harmonious labour relations in the federal Public Service and Parliament Performance indicator: Based on CSS survey data, percentage of clients who are satisfied with the Board's ability to improve labour relations in the federal public service and Parliament through impartial and open processes and the quality of assistance, reports and educational tools it provides.
Target: 75%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Parties before the Board receive  a timely and fair resolution of their case Performance indicator: Based on CSS survey data, percentage of clients who are satisfied with the Board’s services with respect to timeliness and fairness
Target: 75%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Dispute-related issues are fully or partially resolved through mediation interventions Performance indicator: Percentage of mediation efforts (grievance or complaint cases and collective bargaining) where issues are partially or fully resolved
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
The Board’s compensation data improves the process of collective bargaining Performance indicator: Percentage of Board interventions with respect to collective bargaining (mediation, public interest commissions, arbitration boards) that use the Board's compensation data, when such data is available
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010



Outputs Performance indicators, targets and dates to achieve targets
Decisions on applications, complaints and grievances Performance indicator: Percentage of decisions issued within four months of the last day of the hearing or other proceeding
Target: 75%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Performance indicator: Among decisions sent for judicial review, percentage of challenges upheld in relation to the total number of decisions issued over a five-year period
Target: 2%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Management of cases Performance indicator: Compliance rate with service standards for case management
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Performance indicator: Percentage of adjudication cases closed during a year over the total number of new cases received during the same year
Target: 10%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Mediation in the negotiation and renewal of collective agreements, the management of relations resulting from the implementation of collective agreements, and in relation to grievances, complaints and other proceedings Performance indicator: Percentage of parties involved in a grievance or complaint case who agree to proceed with mediation efforts
Target: 60%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Performance indicator: Percentage of collective bargaining issues resolved by mediation interventions
Target: 50%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Performance indicator: Success rate of preventive mediation (not related to an adjudication case before the Board)
Target: 85%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Training sessions on interest-based negotiation and mediation Performance indicator: Number of registrations per year
Target: 500
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010
Performance indicator: Percentage of training sessions with a full house
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010
Performance indicator: Percentage of participants satisfied with quality of training
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010



Outputs Performance indicators, targets and dates to achieve targets
Conciliation and arbitration services Performance indicator: Percentage of public interest commissions and arbitration boards that are initiated within five days of receiving all appropriate documentation
Target: 100%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009
Data on compensation prevailing in the public and private sectors Performance indicator: Percentage of time that compensation information is available in time for negotiations
Target: 100%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010
Performance indicator: Percentage of errata issued in relation to the number of reports issued over a three-year period
Target: 5%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2010
Performance indicator: Percentage of clients that indicate data meets their needs
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Performance indicator: Percentage of clients that are satisfied with methodology
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Performance indicator: Percentage of clients that are satisfied with consultation and processes
Target: 80%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Outreach material Performance indicator: Percentage of clients that are satisfied with outreach material produced by the Board
Target: 85%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2011
Performance indicator: Percentage increase in visits to Board’s website in relation to benchmark year (2007-08)
Target: 5%
Date to achieve target: 31/03/2009