Union of National Employees elects new leadership after almost a year in trusteeship

Jean-Michel Lavergne was elected as the new national president of the Union of National Employees on Aug. 27. Photo submitted

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The Public Service Alliance of Canada, the largest federal public service union in Canada, is set to hand back control of one of its component unions to an elected executive after almost a year managing the union.

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On Aug. 27, the Union of National Employees voted in new national and regional executives in the first steps toward leaving trusteeship, a mechanism that allows a larger union to control one of its components after a period of mismanagement.

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UNE represents everything from passport officers to plumbers, clerical workers, program administration, librarians and foreign service officers, among other professions, according to the union website.

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The new national executive from UNE poses for a photo. From left to right: Alex Silas, national vice-president of PSAC, Béla Gyarmati, assistant national vp for human rights, Chris Little-Gagné, national executive vp, Jean-Michel Lavergne, UNE’s new national president, Mylène Seguin, national vp for human rights, Ellen Cross, national vp for occupational health and safety, and Julien Levesque, second alternative national executive vp. Photo submitted

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Jean-Michel Lavergne, a Library of Parliament employee, won the role of national president of the UNE with Chris Little-Gagné as the vice-president.

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“We want to build on the solid work done during the trusteeship and ensure it’s continuity. … We will continue strengthening UNE, while supporting our locals and regions, and turning the progress we have made into lasting results for our members,” Lavergne said in a statement.

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Mylène Seguin won the national vice-president for human rights, while Ellen Cross was elected as the national vice-president for occupational health and safety.

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Alex Silas, the national executive vice-president, was named the trustee last year, and he told the Ottawa Citizen he is “proud” of UNE members and the executive for getting UNE to the point that it is ready to leave trusteeship.

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“As much as the the trusteeship team and the staff at UNE worked really hard to get us to this point, the members worked incredibly hard to get us to this point as well,” he said.

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Silas pointed to the UNE only having 25 per cent of locals in conformance at the start of the trusteeship, while heading into convention that number had risen to 81 per cent.

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Conformance for the UNE is defined by having a full executive and having all financial documents submitted, according to Silas.

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Silas also called Lavergne “a very humble guy” who keeps the interests of UNE members “at heart.”

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By early November, PSAC is expected “to do a full handoff” of the management of the UNE after a period of training and transition, Silas said.

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The election of a new national executive arrives after a difficult period for the UNE.

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Last year, PSAC’s national board of directors voted to take UNE under trusteeship after several complaints were launched from several sources against UNE’s former national president, Alisha Kang.

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In recent weeks, Kang was suspended by PSAC for a period of at least five years, according to previous reporting by the Ottawa Citizen.

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On Oct. 24, 2025, the UNE was placed under trusteeship after it listed five areas of concern for the union, effectively ousting Kang, the entire national executive and regional executives.