G-725 - Travel
On the relevant dates, the Grievor was working evening shifts outside his headquarters area. He claimed a reimbursement for three meals at the dinner rate. In each case, it was the first meal of his shift. The Grievor's claim was denied by the Respondent on the ground that the Grievor had not provided receipts to justify the reimbursement requested.
The grievance was denied at Level I. According to the Adjudicator, the Grievor was subject to section 3.2.9 of the Treasury Board Travel Directive (TBTD), which states that reimbursement of meals shall be based on the meal sequence of breakfast, lunch and dinner, in relation to the commencement of the employee's shift. On that issue, the Adjudicator noted that for shift workers outside their headquarters area, the meal they are authorized to claim at mid-shift is lunch.
ERC Findings
The ERC found that the Grievor, as a shift worker, had to have breakfast at his own expense before beginning his shifts. He was then eligible to claim the reimbursement of the meals consumed while he was travelling, in accordance with the meal sequence set out in section 3.2.9 of the TBTD. During each of his shifts, he was therefore eligible for a meal at the lunch rate. If an amount greater than the allowed rate was paid, the Grievor had to provide supporting documents in order to receive the actual expenditure.
ERC Recommendation
The ERC recommended that the grievance be denied.
Commissioner of the RCMP Decision dated March 16, 2021
The Commissioner's decision, as summarized by her office, is as follows:
[Translation]
The Grievor worked shifts for which he then claimed meal expenses. These claims were denied by the Respondent, which led the Grievor to file five grievances. The ERC found that the five grievances should be allowed, but only with respect to the claims involving shifts longer than 10 hours for which the Grievor claimed a second meal. In all the other cases, namely the claims submitted for shifts where the Grievor only claimed one meal, the ERC found that the Grievor was only entitled to the dinner rate, which he seems to have already received. The Commissioner shares the ERC's opinion and accepts the ERC's recommendation that the grievances should be allowed in part.