About Us

The Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal mandated by the Public Service Labour Relations Act (PSLRA) to administer the collective bargaining and grievance adjudication systems in the federal public service. It is also mandated by the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act to perform the same role for the institutions of Parliament.

The PSLRB is unique in that it is one of the few bodies of its type in Canada that combines both adjudication and labour relations functions. Through its role in adjudicating grievances and complaints, mediating disputes, supporting the collective bargaining process, and performing compensation analysis and research, the PSLRB helps foster harmonious labour relations and good human resource management in the federal public service. This benefits Canadians by supporting a productive and effective workplace that delivers government programs in the public interest.

The PSLRB came into being on April 1, 2005, with the enactment of the PSLRA. It replaced the Public Service Staff Relations Board (PSSRB), which had existed since 1967 when collective bargaining was first introduced into the federal public service. Although the PSLRA effectively created a new Board with a new mandate, the PSLRB in fact continues to provide many of the same services as the former PSSRB and builds on its accomplishments and the solid body of jurisprudence it generated.

As a quasi-judicial tribunal, the PSLRB operates very much like a court. As such, the PSLRB is bound by the constitutionally protected open-court principle. This means that most information filed with the PSLRB becomes part of a public record and is generally available to the public. When deciding a matter, administrative-law principles require that the PSLRB issue a reasoned decision, which includes a summary of the evidence presented and of the arguments of the parties, as well as an articulation of the reasons supporting the findings. The full text of those decisions is posted on the PSLRB website and is distributed to a number of publishers.