Public Service Alliance of Canada National President Chris Aylward speaks during a news conference at union headquarters, Monday, April 17, 2023 in Ottawa. The clock is ticking for the government and Canada's largest federal public-service union to reach an agreement by a deadline of 9 p.m. EDT tonight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Canada’s largest federal public-service union says that some 155,000 workers will go on strike after talks with the government failed to produce an agreement before its Tuesday night deadline.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada said strike action would begin Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. EDT after the union failed to reach a tentative agreement by its deadline of 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
Chris Aylward, the union’s national president, said the bargaining teams would remain at the table throughout the strike.
The bargaining groups involve some 155,000 federal public servants, including 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers.
Mediated contract negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the government began in early April and continued through the weekend in what the union describes as the government’s last chance to reach a deal.
Wage increases have been top of mind at the bargaining table, and the union has also pushed for work-from-home options to be written into a new collective agreement.
Negotiations over the new contract first began in June 2021, with the union declaring an impasse in May 2022 and both parties filing labour complaints since then.
The union called a strike vote in January, and it announced that members had voted in favour of a strike mandate early last week.
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier told reporters Tuesday afternoon that she was optimistic a deal would be struck by the deadline.
“We have a competitive and fair wage on the table and also that is reasonable to Canadians. Therefore, we’re going to continue to work hard until we get to a deal,” said Fortier.
On Monday, Aylward told a news conference that workers are prepared to strike for “however long it takes.”
Wage increases have been top of mind at the bargaining table.
The Treasury Board released a statement on Monday afternoon saying that it offered the union a nine per cent raise over three years on Sunday, on the recommendation of the third-party Public Interest Commission.
But the union has pushed for annual raises of 4.5 per cent over the next three years, arguing the increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living.
It has also kept issues such as greater limits on contract work, more anti-racism training and provisions for remote work on the table.
“There is still time to reach agreement before strike action begins. We know that the sooner an agreement is reached, the sooner wage increases and benefits reach employees,” the Treasury Board, which is responsible for the administration of the federal government, said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.
