Federal employees working at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Treasury Board will begin a national general strike this week if the Liberal government does not reach a bargaining agreement with their union by the evening of April 18, says the president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
PSAC National President Chris Aylward told reporters in Ottawa on April 17 that some bargaining progress has been made over the past two weeks, but not enough to address “several key issues,” which he said include wages, job security, and remote work.
“These workers can’t wait any longer,” said Aylward. “That’s why we’re setting a clock on this round of bargaining.”
Aylward said he will authorize a national general strike for all 155,000 PSAC members working for the CRA and Treasury Board to start on April 19 if the union and the government cannot reach a bargaining agreement by Tuesday, April 18 at 9:00 P.M.
Aylward said PSAC is attempting to negotiate a 13.5 percent wage increase over three years for the CRA and Treasury Board employees
“The rate of inflation for the same period is at 13.8 percent,” he told reporters.
Aylward added that the union has received “several wage offers” from the Liberal government over the past two weeks, but said none of them “keep up with the rate of inflation.”
He said that some public services will be “delayed” or “shut down” if the federal workers strike this week.
Giving examples, Aylward said Canadians can expect delays in passport, immigration, and Employment Insurance applications if the workers go on strike. He also said “imports and exports” could be affected as well.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters last week that his government is “doing everything” possible to avoid having the workers go on strike.
“We’re working hard at the bargaining table,” he said on April 13.
If no deal is reached by the morning of April 18 and the union workers go on strike, Aylward said PSAC will have “picket lines set up across the country in various strategic locations.”
