Public servants with diverse backgrounds, disabilities, or union involvement are facing a disproportionate impact from the recent cuts to the passport service, as highlighted by the Union of National Employees (UNE). The UNE has raised concerns over what it perceives as discriminatory actions that violate both the collective agreement and the Canadian Human Rights Act, leading to the filing of two grievances.
In a significant development, 800 contract workers nationwide, mainly in Quebec, were informed in May that their positions would be terminated by June. Out of these, 350 individuals felt aggrieved and are challenging their dismissals through a UNE-led initiative. Subsequently, in August, an additional 184 public servants were targeted for cuts, with 71 of them joining a collective grievance filed by the union.
According to UNE’s national president, Alisha Kang, an analysis of the terminated employees revealed an overrepresentation of certain groups, raising concerns about potential discrimination. Kang emphasized that many of the affected employees held customer-facing roles crucial for assisting diverse applicants in the passport application process.
The UNE is urging the government to allow the terminated employees to fulfill their contractual obligations. However, Employment and Social Development Canada stated that the cuts were based on workload projections for passport teams and aimed at ensuring prudent fiscal management while considering equity-seeking groups’ retention.
Nicholas Marcus Thompson, CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, echoed UNE’s concerns, disputing the government’s claims of safeguarding marginalized workers. Thompson criticized the selection of employees for layoffs based on factors like race, disability, national origin, or union involvement, labeling it as systemic discrimination. He warned of potential delays in passport processing for affected individuals.
Despite the government’s reassurances of supporting impacted employees during the transition, questions persist about the fairness and equity of the decision-making process surrounding the recent job cuts in the passport service.
