Wednesday, March 19, 2025
AMAPCEO members in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) who worked on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2022 will receive compensating time-off-in-lieu for the OPS Employer not recognizing the day as a paid holiday under the collective agreement, an arbitrator has ruled
The OPS Employer refused to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a holiday under the collective agreement for employees in September 2022. A coalition of five OPS employee unions, led by AMAPCEO, won its case arguing this was a violation of the unions’ collective agreements. The arbitrator ruled that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation should have been treated as a paid holiday in 2022 and must be going forward. This win for OPS members provided the union leverage to secure this day as a paid holiday for members in many of its other bargaining units.
“This federal holiday was proclaimed as a direct response to a Call to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to recognize the enduring harm caused by residential and day schools,” AMAPCEO President/CEO Dave Bulmer said. “It was critical that all governments, including Ontario, recognize this solemn day.”
AMAPCEO and the Employer have struck a joint committee to discuss how to implement the arbitrator’s decision.
So far, the union and the employer have confirmed:
- Permanent (regular) employees who worked on September 30, 2022 and who are still OPS members will receive one-and-a-half days of compensating leave time in their WIN credit banks. The union and the Employer are negotiating when these credits will be applied.
- Full-time fixed-term (contract) employees who worked on September 30, 2022 and who are still OPS members will receive one day of compensating leave time in their WIN credit banks, further to Article FXT 3.2 in the AMAPCEO–OPS Collective Agreement. The union and the Employer are negotiating when these credits will be applied.
The union is in discussions with the Employer on how the remedy will be applied to:
- Members who were employed but did not work on September 30, 2022 (using paid or unpaid credits or leave).
- Members who are no longer in the OPS.
"This is a win for AMAPCEO members in the OPS,” Bulmer said. “But the discussions on exactly how this remedy will be implemented will continue. We’ll share updates as details are confirmed.”