Salary and merit

The ability to collectively negotiate the terms and conditions of your employment, including your compensation, is an important advantage of being a unionized professional.

When employees negotiate together, they achieve better results and in turn, promote fairness and consistency at work. Collective bargaining of compensation also reduces the wage gap for women and for racialized and young workers.

Your Collective Agreement defines the parameters of your salary and merit in Articles 19, 43, 44, 45, & 50.

Your salary

Your salary is based on your position’s classification. Each classification has a minimum and maximum. You can see the ranges for each in Salary Schedules A & B of your Collective Agreement.

The union may be able to negotiate increases to your individual salary as a part of collective bargaining with the Employer—this is called an across-the-board increase.

We may also be able to negotiate increases to salary range minimums and maximums as part of the contract.

Your current Collective Agreement

Your 2025–2028 Collective Agreement between AMAPCEO and the Ontario Public Service sets across-the-board increases to both individual salaries and to all salary ranges of: 

• 2.75% on April 1, 2025. 
• 2.25% on April 1, 2026; and 
• 2% on April 1, 2027.

In addition to the ATBs, on April 1, 2025 a one time special wage increase is provided as follows: 

• Program Specialist, Ministry of Long-Term Care: 15% 
• Communications Training Officer, Ministry of Health: 3% 

See Article 44 (page 97) and Salary Schedules A & B of your Collective Agreement and Section 18 (page 18) of the Memorandum of Settlement for more details.

Merit pay increases

In addition to any across-the-board increases negotiated with the Employer, you may also be eligible for merit pay increases to your current salary based on your work performance during a 12-month work cycle.

Merit pay increases can be between 0% and 5% of your salary and are pensionable earnings.

Annual merit pay provisions are not impacted by Bill 124 and will continue.

Eligibility

You are eligible for a merit pay increase if your current salary is within the range for your position’s classification.

Receiving a merit pay increase

Your supervisor will assess your performance during the 12-month work cycle between your anniversary dates against your yearly performance objectives.

Based on your performance, they will award you an increase between 0%–5% of your salary. If your rating is satisfactory, you will automatically receive a 3% merit pay increase to your current salary.

Your merit pay increase will become effective on your anniversary date.

If your merit pay increase causes your salary to exceed the maximum for your position’s classification:

• your new salary will be set to the maximum; and
• the excess amount will be paid out to you as a lump-sum bonus.

Any lump sum you receive will not increase your base salary beyond the maximum salary range.

Isolation pay

If your regular work location is in an isolated area, you may be eligible for weekly isolation pay on top of your current salary. See Article 43 of your Collective Agreement for details.

If you have questions or need assistance

Please contact an AMAPCEO Workplace Representative near you. They do not have to be in your Ministry.

Workplace Representatives are trained union members who have volunteered to confidentially assist members like you in the workplace. They should be your first point of contact in seeking information and representation with an issue at work.

Your Workplace Representative may ask you to use the union’s secure web-based system, RADAR, to provide details about your situation. RADAR will help you and your Workplace Representative keep track of things without the privacy concerns that could come from using the Employer’s email system.