Members of Canada’s largest public service union have decided to escalate their ongoing strike action as they’re now on day six of protesting amid contract negotiations.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents thousands of federal workers, told the Canadian Press on Sunday that it will move picket lines to “strategic locations” starting on Monday. The union announced its new strategy due to a lack of progress being made on contract negotiations with the federal government.
More than 100,000 workers walked off the job on Apr. 19. The union says the top three priorities it wants to address in its new contract are wages, remote work and job security.
The strike has disrupted government services across the country, such as income tax and benefit returns, passport applications, and immigration processing.
According to PSAC National President Chris Aylward, some headway was made with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, specifically on remote work language as well as steps toward a resolution on wage increases.
“At the CRA bargaining table, talks continue but without a new mandate from the employer, things haven’t moved much further,” Aylward said in a statement Sunday.
“So we’re not at the finish line yet, but I know that we can get to a fair deal for all 155,000 PSAC members thanks to the strong strike mandate you’ve delivered and the incredible solidarity you’ve shown from coast to coast to coast,” he added.
PSAC says the federal government made an offer Saturday afternoon but the union countered with its own that same day.
In response, Federal Treasury Board President Mona Fortier sent a second proposal Saturday, which the union has not replied to as of publication.
Earlier this weekend, the two sides engaged in a heated spat over poor communication and delaying negotiations.
Aylward went on live television to accuse the government of not responding to their “comprehensive” proposal delivered Thursday.
He also posted a video which included a portion of his speech on Twitter Saturday afternoon.
This coincided with a statement posted by Fortier just one minute later.
Fortier claims they contacted the union through its mediator about a new offer being presented at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. However, PSAC allegedly took three hours to respond to the request, initially accepting the meeting at 12:31 p.m. but subsequently cancelling nine minutes later.
The two parties remain at opposite ends at the bargaining table particularly over wage increases. Though, the union states the federal government recently put down a wage offer of nine per cent over three years on the table.
PSAC says it will find means of financing its strike, even if its current strike fund becomes completely depreciated during the course of this walkout.
Now Toronto reached out to the federal government for an update but has not yet received a response.
