Vancouver, BC – G4S Secure Solutions (Canada) Ltd. has agreed to pay $290,000.00 to members of IAM Local Lodge 16 for not providing and contributing toward the cost of their BC Health and Wellness Plan Premiums (BCMSP) as outlined in their Collective Agreement.
The settlement was the result of a grievance filed by the IAM upon discovery that the company had violated the Collective Agreement by not providing and contributing 100 percent towards the cost of the benefits as agreed to between the parties.
The violation primarily affects Airport Security Screeners hired since June 2014 throughout the Pacific Region, when the company unilaterally introduced a change in practice, through the introduction of a new hire form.
“Once the cat was out of the bag, the company was less than cooperative in responding to our inquiries and investigation, concerning the entitlements that our members were receiving,” explained IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 General Chairperson Tania Canniff. “We were left with no alternative but to file a grievance, refer the matter to arbitration and seek an order from the arbitrator, which directed the company to disclose to the IAM, the information we required to represent the Membership.”
The settlement agreement requires the company to provide the IAM with a list of current employees who are not in receipt of at least the full single payor rate of MSP premiums for 2017 and 2018. The IAM will, no later than March 15, 2019, provide the company with the pro rata amount of payment to be paid to each such employee, subject to their date of entitlement. Affected employees can expect their reimbursement on the April 5, 2019
“I’m pleased with the result,” said Canniff. “It’s sad that we had to force the issue once the error was revealed. This is the price the company pays for not cooperating with the grievance procedure or following the Collective Agreement they have signed.”
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