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strike update

echelon99

Hero Member
Jun 5, 2012
349
4
Colombo, Sri-Lanka
Category........
Visa Office......
CHC-Colombo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-05-2013
IELTS Request
8.0 overall
File Transfer...
24-05-2013
Med's Request
28-06-2013
Med's Done....
01-07-2013
Passport Req..
19-07-2013
VISA ISSUED...
24-07-2013
harsh_mba said:
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2013/06/14/371893/

New Delhi CHC is d worst hit!!! Read d whole thing :(
Harsha, it won't let me read the whole thinge unless I pay a subscription fee. Can you copy paste the text from the article here?
 

patel87

Member
Oct 3, 2012
19
1
As Canadian foreign service officers continue job actions both at home and abroad, the union representing the striking diplomats says visa applications are backed up by the thousands at key Canadian missions.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO), representing 1,350 non-executive-level diplomats, staged a mass walkout June 6 in Ottawa and at Canadian diplomatic posts around the world.

As of Friday, approximately 300 workers had walked off the job as part of the union’s rotating job actions. According to PAFSO President Tim Edwards, the union is focusing job actions at missions where striking will have the strongest impact.

PAFSO employees are currently striking in London, Paris and Ireland, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper is touring ahead of the G8 summit in Dublin. They demonstrated in front of Westminster in London Thursday, where Harper addressed the UK parliament, and at various landmarks in Paris for the prime minster’s visit there.

But a large bulk of the impact is being felt at the Canadian missions in Mexico City, Beijing and Delhi, where all Canadian immigration officials are on strike.

Edwards said visa processing times have been dramatically affected by the strike. For instance, in Mexico City, he said the typical backlog is 500 visa applications in queue, but the strike has pushed that number to more than 7,000. And in Delhi and Beijing, Edwards suspects the impact is even worse. :eek:

“The pace in Delhi and Beijing as our two largest processing centres is much larger,” said Edwards. “It would be thousands – potentially tens of thousands – of applications that are backed up.”

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) also recognized the impacts of the PAFSO strike in a post on its website June 11.

“Posted processing times for both temporary and permanent resident visa applications do not take into account work stoppages,” read the notice. ”Anyone applying for a visa should anticipate delays and submit their application as far in advance as possible.”

CIC said contingency plans are in place to ensure all offices remain open to provide at least a minimum level of service. The department did not return iPolitics’ request for more information about those contingency plans.

According to Edwards, priority is being placed on temporary resident visa applications. As a result, some permanent resident applications are being set aside. PAFSO members are also on strike at the Canadian missions in Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.

The diplomats, who have been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without contract since June 2011, are demanding equal pay for equal work. Edwards said the union’s diplomats are not being paid as much as government professionals who perform the same type of work. He said some “less senior” diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa.

However, Treasury Board believes PAFSO members have been presented with a fair offer.

“The Foreign Service is a well-paid and highly sought after posting. In addition to salaries that often go into six figures, foreign service workers enjoy generous benefits worth tens of thousands of dollars per individual,” said a Treasury Board spokesperson in an email.

Some of those perks include a reimbursement of up to 50 per cent for dry cleaning expenses, the shipment of personal vehicles and household items such as furniture to the diplomat’s posting, and a foreign service incentive allowance recognizing the challenges associated with living abroad.

But Edwards said the benefits are not sufficient in comparison the hardships diplomats experience when living abroad. For instance, he cited the foreign service incentive allowance.

“These offset payments do not come anywhere near compensating for the loss of a second salary when our spouses are forced to quit their jobs to accompany us abroad,” said Edwards. “In a day and age when two incomes are the norm in Canada, two pensions are the norm in Canada, our members make an enormous sacrifice in terms of their annual income in order to represent Canada.”

PAFSO said that until the Treasury Board returns to the bargaining table with a satisfactory offer on pay, the union is prepared to continue its rotating job actions. Edwards even looked as far ahead as September, discussing the impact the strike could have when the United Nations General Assembly and other summit meetings kick off in the fall.

“We’re prepared to see this through. If it takes that long, then so be it. We are certainly ready to go back to the table any day the government’s ready to make us a reasonable offer and to show one inch of compromise, which they haven’t yet to date.”

twitter.com/michellezilio

michellezilio@ipolitics.ca


:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
 

echelon99

Hero Member
Jun 5, 2012
349
4
Colombo, Sri-Lanka
Category........
Visa Office......
CHC-Colombo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-05-2013
IELTS Request
8.0 overall
File Transfer...
24-05-2013
Med's Request
28-06-2013
Med's Done....
01-07-2013
Passport Req..
19-07-2013
VISA ISSUED...
24-07-2013
Thanks for the article. Wishing everyone the best of luck.
 

ms.mech

Hero Member
Jul 21, 2012
948
85
Category........
CEC
Visa Office......
Ottawa
App. Filed.......
22-12-2017
AOR Received.
11-03-2017
Interview........
N/A
Passport Req..
With File
VISA ISSUED...
26-05-2017
LANDED..........
26-05-2017

patel87

Member
Oct 3, 2012
19
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1ejgrbdBVU

::) ::) ::)

Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) President Tim Edwards protests with Canadian foreign service officers in front of the Canadian Embassy
 

patel87

Member
Oct 3, 2012
19
1
http://video.theloop.ca/watch/power-play-diplomats-walk-off-the-job-/2451277493001#.Ub6Srl3rBY0

??? ??? ??? ??? ???
 

sandhuboy

Hero Member
Aug 26, 2012
603
10
Chandigarh
Category........
Visa Office......
CHANDIGARH
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
15-04-2013
Doc's Request.
16-04-2013
Med's Request
Waived
Interview........
Waived
VISA ISSUED...
08/05/2013
LANDED..........
wahaguru manu v DATE pan da moka da..
sukar hai mara visa pahala he lag gaya.
 

farhan88

Hero Member
Mar 2, 2013
377
8
124
Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
ISLAMABAD and OTTAWA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
04-09-2016
AOR Received.
04-09-2016
IELTS Request
Provided band 9
Med's Request
Passed
Interview........
Not needed
Passport Req..
30-12-2016
VISA ISSUED...
W8ing
LANDED..........
W8ing
hey yaaar I am from Pakistan and have recently been issued a medical from CHC islamabad, will the strike in Delhi affect our case as well? as some say that our medicals go toe Delhi CHC, is it true??????????????? will this strike in INDIA affect those in Pakistan as well?????????? because the pakistani CHC is issuing medicals on a regular basis to the applicants,
 

sushilsrk

Hero Member
May 16, 2012
271
5
what was the start date of the Strike because when i go to the links they all are news of May etc.
I applied on 27 May and got my visa in 8 working days i.e. 3rd June so keep your spirits high :)
 

artcruzlll

Member
Jul 24, 2013
15
0
Good day,

i was advised by the agency last June 6, 2013 that my visa application was already granted by Service Canada thru email from my employer, but until now there is no official updates from canadian embassy here in the Philippines....i would like to ask if this on going PAFSO strike...affects the processing of my temporary working permit?

Hoping for kind consideration and look forward to hear from you...

Thanks,
Art