Grievance Case Summary - G-295-296

The Commanding Officer of the division informed the Grievor that he should no longer use his own vehicle when travelling on business and should instead use an RCMP vehicle. The Grievor nevertheless continued to use his own vehicle for such travel. The Commanding Officer of the division accordingly refused to pay him a travel allowance, giving rise to two separate grievances. At Level I, the adjudicator refused to rule on the merits of the grievances because the Grievor had not presented any arguments.

The Level I adjudicator was wrong in refusing to rule on the merits of the grievances. The Grievor was not required to do anything other than identify the contested decision and the corrective measure sought, which he did. The grievance is ill-founded, however, because the Treasury Board Travel Directive which applies to the RCMP very clearly states that it is "the prerogative of the employer to determine ... the mode and class of transportation."

The grievances should be denied.

The Commissioner agreed with the findings and recommendations of the Committee. The two grievances are denied.