For the second time in a week, members of Canada’s largest union representing public servants have agreed to strike if needed.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), representing more than 120,000 employees at the Treasury Board, announced Wednesday afternoon that it had received a strike mandate from members in four bargaining groups.
The groups are the Education and Library, Program and Administrative, Operational Services, and TC Technical Services units. Those members have been working without a contract for less than two years.
The announcement Wednesday came days after 35,000 PSAC and Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) members, working for the Canada Revenue Agency, agreed to strike, and put themselves in a legal strike position as of Friday.
“The cost of living has hit highs we haven’t seen in 40 years, and people are struggling. Every day, we see that our dollar doesn’t go as far at the grocery store or the gas pump,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward. “PSAC members are sending a clear message that they won’t be taken for granted, they won’t fall further behind, and they’re ready to fight for better.”
Strike votes took place nationwide beginning February 22, with the last one completed on Tuesday. Should a strike happen, it would be the largest against a single employer in Canadian history.
Wages are the main sticking point in negotiations.
Talks between the two sides began in June 2021, with an impasse declared in May 2022. Mediation took place in September, and Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings happened in December. The resulting PIC report issued a series of non-binding recommendations.
The Government of Canada responded quickly to news of the strike mandate, saying talks have been moving forward with work still to do.
“It remains our goal to reach an agreement at the bargaining table as soon as possible,” the government said in a media release. “As we announced in our March 30, 2023 statement, both parties agreed to mediated negotiations and those negotiations continue this week. Over the past week we made significant headway, addressing many union demands. There are many areas where both parties could reach a compromise, including wage increases, and if the PSAC shares our commitment to bargain in good faith, we can reach agreements quickly at the bargaining table.”
—with files from Rebecca Chouinard
