Labour Relations Officer

The National Police Federation is currently hiring a Labour Relations Officer to join our team.

Overview of the Role : The Labour Relations Officer (LRO) plays a key role in fostering positive and productive relationships between Members and their employer within a unionized environment. This position involves interpreting and applying labour laws, negotiating and administering collective agreements, mediating disputes, and advising on policies and procedures. The LRO also provides technical advice, representation, and procedural guidance to Members, Local Area Representatives (LARs), and Regional Directors on complex or specialized labour relations matters.

Reporting to: Labour Relations Officer Supervisor

Location: Canada-wide (Remote)

• Who We Are:
• The National Police Federation (NPF) represents ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally. We are the largest police union in Canada. The NPF is focused on improving public safety for all Canadians, including our Members by advocating for much-needed investment in the public safety continuum. This includes investments in police resourcing and modern equipment, as well as social programs including health, addiction, and housing supports to enhance safety and livability in the many communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.

Our head office is located in Ottawa but our 70+ staff work remotely across Canada. We stay closely connected through our up-to-date I.T. tools and by living our internal values: Inclusion, Innovation, Appreciation, Collaboration, and Trust.

Why Work with the NPF?

Competitive compensation package.

Generous Group Benefit package including Health Care Spending and Taxable Spending Accounts.

Competitive pension matching program of up to 7%.

Professional development opportunities.

An inclusive, passionate, and fun team environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Support and guidance

Independently read, analyze, and interpret various resources, such as the collective agreement, the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Act, and RCMP policies and procedures to provide timely advice to NPF (National Police Federation) Members regarding fact specific, individual circumstances.

Identify any issues that may require further analysis or interpretation, particularly those involving the Membership as a whole, and those situations which fall under statutes.

Refer issues to other NPF employees such as Legal Counsel, LR Team Lead or NPF Directors for further clarification.

Subject to availability, is ready to immediately deploy, and/or respond/support to critical incidents involving NPF Members.

Provide support to Members involved in critical incidents, including through providing information on their rights and responsibilities during investigations by external bodies and the RCMP (ASIRT (Alberta Serious Incident Response Team), IIO (Independent Investigations Office), Coroner, MCU etc.).

Ensure Members have immediate access to available support, including medical and mental health.

Liaise with the Employer to ensure NPF Members are being supported and are being provided with information.

Gather information and provide updates as required to NPF Staff, NPF Directors, and Local Area Representatives.

If required, act as a point of contact for RCMP management, RCMP supervisors, and NPF Members.

Representation to NPF Members

Write legally sound and/or policy driven submissions on behalf of the NPF and/or Member for grievances and Codes of Conduct and present them during hearings and/or meetings.

Mentor Local Area Representatives to support meetings when the LRO is unable to attend in-person.

Engage with Employer counterparts such as HSOs (Health Services Officer), CDROs (Career Development Resourcing Officer), CDRAs (Career Development and Resourcing Advisor), CMLRAs (Corporate Member Labour Relations Advisor), EMROs (Employee & Management Relations Office) etc. to proactively problem-solve/negotiate resolutions to Member labour issues through informal discussions.

Consult with others such as legal counsel, external counsel (PAF), other NPF Staff and NPF Board Directors when required.

Follow the guidance and instructions of the NPF LR Team Lead, LR Program Manager as directed.

Research and knowledge sharing

Independently conduct research, access legal resources and RCMP policies, and stay current on jurisprudence and developments related to labour relations/labour law and apply the relevance to Member issues.

Participate in ongoing labour relations education through coursework, conferences, and online learning to meet the NPF’s goal of providing accurate advice.

Professional Develpment with yearly courses and training to remain current with updated Labour Laws and case law. Attend meetings with NPF Directors and Employer representatives (such as the National Policy Health and Safety Committee) to observe, collaborate, and provide technical guidance.

Participate in regular team meetings to share information with other Labour Relations Officers.

Support training for Local Area Representatives and new Labour Relations Officers to share institutional knowledge and subject matter expertise.

Engage and liaise to collaboratively identify issues and elevate concerns and trends that affect the general NPF Membership.

Special projects

Take lead on major files involving multiple Members and/or are expected to result in multiple intakes (Wildfires, Floods, IVF, Mat/Pat, IMEs etc.).

Liaise as required with assigned Director on major events (COP15, Papal Visits, G7, and G20 etc.).

Consult with NPF Legal to develop policy grievances for matters affecting the entire bargaining unit.

Provide updates on the progress of these files to NPF Directors, NPF management, and NPF Members.

DFR/ Representation Policy

Understand and utilize information contained within the NPF Representation Policy to respond to inquiries from NPF Members.

Inform Members of their rights contained within the Policy and provide input to NPF leadership and NPF Legal regarding a Member’s complaint.

Maintain knowledge of the duty of fair representation and apply this knowledge during their day-to-day work.

Liaise with NPF Legal on any matters involving the duty of fair representation.

Assist the NPF in gathering information about a complaint and by gathering documentation needed to assist with assessing the merits of the Member’s concerns.

Record management

Ensure records are up-to date by updating NPF systems (such as Galexy, etc.).

Record in detail interactions with Members and Employer representatives in NPF systems to ensure an accurate and timely record of correspondence is retained.

Qualifications/Key Attributes:

A degree in labour relations or a related field and/or a combination of education and experience in the field of labour relations/law enforcement/human resources.

Experience in a labour relations program, association and/or unionized representation, primarily in one or more of these areas: Career Development/Staffing, Transfer/Relocation, Workplace Conflict, Disability Management, Accommodation, Grievances, Conduct, Serious Incidents, and Harassment. With preference to having experience in multiple areas.

Significant and recent experience in representing employees experiencing workplace issues.

A graduate degree in labour relations or a related field may be seen as an asset.

Experience working in a law enforcement environment an asset.

Experience with case management / file management systems is an asset.

Advanced working knowledge of labour relations principles, collective agreements, and/or a variety of workplace policies and procedures

Strong understanding of occupational health and safety, workplace accommodation, and disability management is an asset.

Effective and persuasive communication skills, orally and written. Ability to communicate complex topics to colleagu