Public Service Alliance of Canada member Sara Pope and her dog Monty walked the picket line in front of Medicine Hat's Service Canada office Tuesday as negotiations between the union and the federal government continue.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Local members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada are hopeful a new contract will be signed in coming days so workers will be able to return to work under wages adjusted to meet inflation.
The strike was declared April 19 after the union and the federal government failed to reach an agreement for more than 155,000 federal public servants working for the Treasury Board and the Canada Revenue Agency.
In southeast Alberta, roughly 250 PSAC members are striking, with picket lines set up in front of Medicine Hat’s Service Canada office in Crescent Heights and opposite the CFB Suffield base entrance, as well as near Ralston’s Canex store and gas station.
While local picketers say the strike has remained peaceful and has, in general, garnered support from members of the public, they share their desire for a swift resolution as negotiations continued Friday.
“We are actively negotiating right now, and we’re ready to negotiate over the weekend,” Bryan Meakin, vice president of the Union of National Defence Employees for Alberta and the North, told the News at midday on Friday.
(Shortly after noon, PSAC released a statement saying it had received an offer, but said it would continue bargaining through the weekend, providing no details of the offer. See Page A2)
“We’re trying to get the best deal that we can,” said Meakin, explaining negotiations have largely hindered on a few key issues, the primary issue being a wage increase.
Initially, PSAC requested a 13.5 per cent increase over three-years (4.5 per cent each year), to help offset the 11 per cent national inflation increase since 2021, the year the contract expired; whereas the government offered 9 per cent.
“Inflation affects everybody,” said Meakin. “Before inflation jumped, a pack of peppers were $2, and now, I believe, they’re up to $9.
“So, we did our research, and we found that (PSAC’s 4.5 per cent yearly increase) was a fair offer … That 4.5 per cent is actually about $3 a day for somebody making $60,000 … and a lot of our members are making just above minimum wage.”
Meakin says the strike also poses challenges to PSAC members, who receive only $75 per day they partake in the strike; however he said morale remains high, and picketers remain hopeful a deal will soon be struck.
“Nobody wants to be on strike,” said Meakin. “Everybody wants to be back in the office and performing their duties and giving Canadians the support that they need.
“We want to get back to the office as quickly as possible, but we also want to have that fair living wage.”
Meakin emphasized that picketers are not blocking access to Service Canada or CFB Suffield, but do want to inform individuals accessing the sites of their objective in striking.
