Federal public servants to strike Wednesday if no deal reached, union says
CBC
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) leadership says all workers in a legal strike position will strike Wednesday if they don't reach an agreement by 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Its bargaining groups — one of about 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers, the other of about 120,000 staff spread across more than 20 departments and agencies — each moved into legal strike positions last week after strike votes.
With essential workers factored out, PSAC said more than 100,000 workers could walk off the job across Canada, affecting a range of services.
National PSAC president Chris Aylward said in a Monday morning news conference that the union and the government have made "some progress" over the last two weeks but are still too far apart on key issues such as wages, job security and remote work.
He said it's setting the deadline because it's taking too long to reach a deal. These contracts expired in 2021.
PSAC's publicly stated focus has shifted. Lately, it's wanted to talk about rising wages because of the higher cost of living and says the government's offers have fallen short of its needs.
Aylward said the latest government offer was what was recommended by a labour board in February: 1.5 per cent in 2021, 4.5 per cent for 2022 and three per cent for 2023.
The federal government has communicated it is seeking "agreements that are fair to public servants and reasonable for taxpayers." It hasn't responded to the announcement of a Tuesday deadline.
Its CRA workers are scheduled for mediation this week. The larger group, known as the Treasury Board unit, had talks with the government last week and remains at the table, according to the union.
They can take job action anytime until early June and are not legally required to give notice.
Aylward said PSAC is committed to remaining at the table to reach a deal to avoid a strike. Any pickets Wednesday would be at "strategic" locations across the country to target the government and minimize impact on the public, he said.
He called on the NDP to continue its support and for the government to avoid using back-to-work legislation.
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