Functional responsibility:
The Board was principally responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Public Service Employee Relations Act, under the direction of the Minister to whom the Board reported. The Board's function was to oversee adjudication of collective bargaining disputes between the Alberta government and government employees, including employees of Crown corporations, councils, boards, commissions and hospitals, and non-academic staff of universities and colleges. A number of Crown agencies were excluded by statute from the application of the Act.

The Board was responsible for determining the status of parties involved in collective bargaining, the status of parties in relation to collective agreements, the status of collective agreements, and the standing of employees in relation to bargaining units and trade unions. The Board was empowered to:

• hold any hearings it considered;
• require, conduct or supervise votes by secret ballot;
• make rules with respect to any votes that it required, appoint persons to supervise them, and investigate complaints concerning votes taken;
• determine who was eligible to vote on any matter;
• inspect any records of an employer or employee or a workplace to determine conditions of employment;
• certify and revoke certification of bargaining agents of employees covered by the act;
• appoint mediators in collective bargaining disputes and establish arbitration boards in cases where mediation failed;
• appoint investigators into complaints of unfair practices, according to sections 70-73 of the Act; and
• issue directives to any party based on the findings of an investigation.

Predecessor and successor bodies:
In 1993, the administrative functions of the Board were merged with those of the Labour Relations Board. For one year the two Boards operated separately, sharing one Chairman. In 1994 the functions of the Board were merged with those of the Labour Relations Board, which became responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Act.

Administrative relationships:
The Board reported to the Minister of Transportation (1977-80), the Provincial Secretary (1980-87), the Minister of Advanced Education (1987-89), the Attorney General (1989-92), and the Minister of Labour (1992-93).

Administrative structure:
The Board was made up of five members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, who designated one member as Chairman. The other four members equally represented the interests of employers and employees. All members served on a part-time basis.

Names of chief officers:
D. Blair Mason (1977-83)
Catherine A. Fraser (1983-89)
Thomas W. Wakeling (1989-93)
Andrew C.L. Sims (1993)