Public Service Minister Judy Foote offers emergency pay cheques amid Phoenix debacle

Nearly500 of the federal government employees who hadn't been paid sincethe Phoenix payroll system was rolled out earlier this year receivedapaychequeon Wednesday, and all otherpublic servants can now access emergency paycheques, saysPublic Services Minister JudyFoote.

She made the comments following meetings with the Miramichi Pay Centre employees in New Brunswick, where sheoffered assurances their jobs are safe and that more help is on the way.

Fiftyadditional people have been hired inMiramichi, and the government is also considering setting up some "regional hubs," in addition to the temporary facility already opened inGatineau, Que.,to ease the load and clear the backlog of cases, saidFoote.

"In the long term, there may very wellbe additional employees. Right now, we have to get the system that we have working in the way that it was intended to work," she said.

"I'mnot focused on the cost of fixing the problem, I'm focused on fixing the problem; I'm focused on making sure people get the money they're owed for jobs performed."

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Foote's commentscomeone day before MPs are scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on thebungled payroll systemthat has left 80,000 federal public servants acrossthe country with pay problems, or nopay at all.Opposition parties demanded themeeting after hearingfrom thousands of affected constituents.

"It's totally unacceptable that anyone should go without apaychequefor any period of time,"shetold CBC News.

Of the estimated 720 employees mostly new hires and summer studentswho hadn't received any pay for several months, 486 have now been paid, she said. The remainder could not be processed because of insufficient information entered by their departments, but should be paid by the next paycheque, she added.

"The reality is that there are some hardship stories out there. Ifind them heartbreaking. I know it's really difficultand that's why I encourage any employee out there who's going without a paycheque to go for that emergency advance cheque as many occasions as you need to."

Every department has the ability to issue emergency paycheques, she said. "What we're saying to employees isif you're not getting paid, reach out to us, let us know because we follow upas soon as we know."

Pay centre workers praised

Foote also expressed sympathy for the approximately 540Miramichi Pay Centre employees who have been scrambling to deal with the problems.

"First and foremost I came here to compliment them on the job that they're doing," she said. "It was important to do that, to have them realize that what's happening with Phoenixhas nothing todo with them;thatthey're doing a really good job.I came to reassure them that the pay centrewould not be leaving Miramichiand that we're goingtowork with themto try to resolve some of the issues that they're dealing with on a daily basis."

Earlier this week, CBC News reported about 50 of the pay centre employees are on long-term leave believed to be stress-related. Footeput the number at 28, and called it a "serious issue."

Miramichi Coun.Tara Ross-Robinson, who was among the local and provincial officials Foote met with before visiting the pay centre employees, said she feelsencouraged.

"I am very confident that there's no threat to the jobs here in Miramichi," she said. "All the skies are bright for Miramichi."

Coun. Chad Duplessiewas equally optimistic. He said rolling out such a large, complex system was bound to come with some "hiccups" and urged patience withthe federal government and "the experts" working on the troubled system.

"I know as a city councillor and as a representative of the city, I'm happy to give them their time to breathe and let them solve this problem, and we have every reason to believe the solutiondoes exist here in Miramichi."

Phoenix was initiated by Stephen Harper'sConservatives and was rolled out in phases under Prime Minister JustinTrudeau's watch earlier this year amidwarnings fromthe largest union representing federal public servants that there would beproblems.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada said thousands of its members experienced problems duringthe first phase of the rollout,which began in late February,and in April the union urged the Liberals not to move aheadwith the next phase.

On Wednesday, Foote said she had asked repeatedly whetherthe system was "OK" to be rolled out and was assured it was, after some 16,000 different pay scenarioshad been reviewed. Some scenarios "weren't thought through or considered," she said.

Still, Footesaid, there was "no question" the previous 40-year-old system, which had failed on occasion,needed to be modernized.

The payroll system is the largest in the country, covering 300,000 employees.