Accelerated lay-off: Occurs when a surplus employee makes a request to their deputy head, in writing, to be laid off at an earlier date than that originally scheduled and the deputy head concurs. Lay-off entitlements begin on the actual date of lay-off.

Affected employee: An indeterminate employee who has been informed in writing that their services may no longer be required because of a workforce adjustment situation.

Alternation: Occurs when an opting employee or a surplus employee who is surplus as a result of having chosen Option 6.4.1(a) wishes to remain in the core public administration and exchanges positions with a non-affected employee (the alternate) willing to leave the core public administration with a Transition Support Measure or with an Education Allowance.

Appointing department or organization: A department or an organization which has agreed to appoint or consider for appointment (either immediately or after retraining) a surplus or a laid-off person.

Core public administration: The departments/organizations named in Schedule I and IV of the Financial Administration Act for which the Public Service Commission (PSC) has sole authority to appoint.

Deficit Reduction Action Plan (DRAP): A plan created by the Government of Canada in 2012 under Stephen Harper to reduce 5-10% of direct spending that led to more than 35,000 federal public servants being laid off between 2012 and 2015 using the SERLO process.

Education Allowance: One of the options provided to an indeterminate employee affected by normal workforce adjustment for whom the deputy head cannot guarantee a reasonable job offer. The Education Allowance is a cash payment, equivalent to the Transitional Support Measure (see Appendix C), plus a reimbursement of tuition from a recognized learning institution, books, and relevant equipment costs, up to a maximum of $17,000.

Guarantee of a reasonable job offer (GRJO): An offer of indeterminate employment within the core public administration provided by the deputy head to an indeterminate employee who is affected by workforce adjustment. Deputy heads will be expected to provide a GRJO to those affected employees for whom they know or can predict employment availability in the core public administration. Surplus employees in receipt of this guarantee will not have access to the options available in Part VI of the NJC Directive.

Joint Workforce Adjustment Committee: A joint committee that must be created at all necessary levels by departments and organizations with their union counterparts to discuss all aspects of the workforce adjustment process being undertaken, including alternation requests from other departments and organizations.

Laid-off person: A person who has been laid off and who still retains an appointment priority. They are no longer a public servant.

Lay-off notice: A written notice of lay-off to be given to a surplus employee at least one month before the scheduled lay-off date. This period is included in the surplus period.

Lay-off priority: A person who has been laid off is entitled to a priority with respect to any position to which the Public Service Commission is satisfied that the person meets the essential qualifications; the period of entitlement to this priority is set out in section 11 of the Public Service Employment Regulations.

Opting employee: An indeterminate employee whose services will no longer be required because of a workforce adjustment situation, who has not received a guarantee of a reasonable job offer from the deputy head, and who has 120 days to consider the options of Section 6.4 of the NJC Directive.

Pension waiver: Allows employees who select Option B to receive an unreduced pension provided they are at least 55 years old and have at least 10 years of service. Typically, taking your pension before your pension eligibility age (taking your pension at 55 when your pension eligibility age is 60, for example) results in a permanently reduced pension. If you began contributing to the pension plan on or after January 1, 2013, you must be at least 60 years of age to be eligible for pension waiver. Additional details can be found on Treasury Board’s Public service pension options page.

Priority Entitlement Consultant (PEC): Public Service Commission staff available to answer workers’ questions regarding Priority Entitlements and the use of the Priority Portal. PECs can answer questions on the appropriate use of skill codes and job types, groups and levels for referrals, entitlements and the feedback process. Persons with priority entitlements can reach a Priority Entitlements Consultant by telephone, via the Priority Entitlements Voicemail at 1-855-235-3113 or local to the NCR at 819-420-6931, or by e-mailing their enquiry to cfp.adminpriorite-priorityadmin.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca.

Priority Information Management System (PIMS): A system designed by the Public Service Commission to facilitate appointments of individuals entitled to statutory and regulatory priorities. Organizations register individuals that have a priority entitlement by entering priority person’s personal information in the PIMS in order for them to be referred to job opportunities within the government.

Reasonable job offer: An offer of indeterminate employment within the core public administration, normally at an equivalent level. Surplus employees must be both trainable and mobile. Where practicable, a reasonable job offer shall be within the employee’s headquarters as defined in the Travel Directive.

Reinstatement priority: An entitlement under section 10 of the Public Service Employment Regulations provided to surplus employees and laid-off persons appointed to lower-level positions in the core public administration that is of a level that is not higher than the position held immediately before the appointment to the lower-level position.

Relocation: The authorized geographic move of a surplus employee or laid-off person from one place of duty to another place of duty, beyond what, according to local custom, is a normal commuting distance.

Relocation of work unit: The authorized move of a work unit of any size to a place of duty beyond what, according to local custom, is normal commuting distance from the former work location and from the employee’s current residence.

Retraining: On-the-job training or other training intended to enable affected employees, surplus employees and laid-off persons to qualify for known or anticipated vacancies within the core public administration.

Salary protection: Surplus and laid-off employees appointed to a lower-level position will have their salary protected in accordance with the salary protection provisions of Part V of the National Joint Council Work Force Adjustment Directive. This protection will apply until they are appointed or deployed to a position with a maximum rate of pay equal to or higher than the maximum rate of pay of the position from which they were declared surplus or laid off.

Selection of Employees for Retention and Lay-off (SERLO): The Public Service Employment Act gives the Public Service Commission the authority to create regulations that determine the process for laying people off. SERLO is the process the Employer has used for deciding which employees will be retained and which employees will be made opting. The process is outlined in the Public Service Commission’s Guide on the Selection of Employees for Retention and Lay-off.

Surplus employee: An indeterminate employee who has been formally declared surplus, in writing, by their deputy head.

Surplus priority: An entitlement for a priority in appointment provided to surplus employees to be appointed in priority to another position in the federal public administration for which they meet the essential requirements.

Surplus status: An indeterminate employee is in surplus status from the date they are declared surplus until the occurrence of one of the following: the date of lay-off, the date they are indeterminately appointed or deployed to another indeterminate position, until their surplus status is rescinded, or until the person resigns.

Transition Support Measure (TSM): One of the options provided to an opting employee for whom the deputy head cannot guarantee a reasonable job offer. The TSM is a cash payment based on the employee’s years of service in the public service, as per Appendix C.

Workforce adjustment: A situation that occurs when a deputy head decides that the services of one or more indeterminate employees will no longer be required beyond a specified date because of a lack of work, the discontinuance of a function, a relocation in which the employee does not wish to relocate or an alternative delivery initiative.