The Consultative Committee on Staff Benefits held its first post-lockout meeting in Ottawa on December 6 and 7. A lot of our agenda was taken up with items that we expected to deal with either prior to the lockout or at our regular September meeting.
The biggest development was the approval of changes to the supplemental health care plan. The changes coming into effect Jan. 1, 2006 stem from a joint union-management process that began a year ago. They are part of a broader effort to bring total health-related costs under control while at the same time addressing wellness and health promotion in the work place.
Full details of the changes will be communicated within days, but here are the highlights:
? The annual deductible with increase from $50 to $75 for single coverage and from $75 to $100 for families.
? Members will pay $5 rather than $2 for each drug prescription. The annual maximum goes to $150 from $100.
? Speech therapy is being added to the plan, with 90% of costs being covered to a maximum of $500 per year.
? Hearing aid coverage is being doubled to $500 per ear, every five years.
The changes will save the CBC slightly more than $500,000 a year.
The CBC and unions will continue their detailed examination of employee wellness. At the end of January, we expect to receive the results of the independent survey of employee health conducted last spring. It concentrated on the psychological health of employees, and the CBC has committed to work with us to implement the study’s recommendations.
The need for wellness and health promotion initiatives was driven home again by the latest report on the long-term disability plan. At the end of November, there were 315 CBC-Radio Canada employees receiving LTD benefits, a record high. The employee premium was increased in October to help address the plan’s deficit. The increase will add about $500,000 a year to the plan, but it will take several months at a minimum to start seeing the impact.
The CCSB approved the renewal of our option life insurance plan with Great West Life. There will be no change in the premium rates for optional life, dependent life and reducing term life insurance during the one-year period ending Sept. 1, 2006.
The terms of the English and French CCSB representatives on the CBC Pension Board of Trustees have been renewed for two more years. Jon Soper represents employees in the English service and Claude Godin is the French service trustee. Pierre Racicot represents pensioners.
Your CCSB representatives at the December meetings:
Philippe Bourbeau
Ralph Legare
Barbara Saxberg
Jon Soper
Gabi Durocher
Dan Oldfield