Federal workers hit picket line

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This article was published 20/04/2023 (993 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dozens of striking federal government employees braved a snowstorm Wednesday morning to form a picket line outside of Brandon’s Service Canada office, demanding contract changes including increased wages.

As they marched along Richmond Avenue, flags in hand, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada called for a fair deal after talks between their union and the federal government broke down earlier this month.

PSAC and the government first started negotiating a new contract in June 2021.

Around 155,000 workers employed by the Canada Revenue Agency and the Treasury Board of Canada hit the picket lines across the country yesterday for one of the largest strikes in Canadian history.

However, the Service Canada office in Brandon remained open Wednesday with some staff providing essential services.

Union representatives in Brandon said their colleagues were also striking at CFB Shilo and outside the offices of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier in both Neepawa and Dauphin.

One of the strike captains in Brandon, Michael Weisgerber, said approximately 200 people were scheduled to participate on the first day of picketing, though not everyone was there at the same time. There were around 50 participants outside when the Sun arrived at 10:30 a.m.

“Hours may shift, and timings and locations may adjust around the city, but we will be out here every day,” Weisgerber said. “What we’re looking for are fair wages and respectful workplaces.”

He said the main concern from his point of view is cost of living, with many union members feeling the pinch of inflation.

“The fact that we have members who are unable to buy groceries, aren’t able to keep up with inflation, they work for the government, and they are having to use food banks,” said fellow strike captain Alicia Zurba.

“That’s absolutely terrible and I think there’s a standard that needs to be set … who better to set that standard in Canada than the Government of Canada?”

Another sticking point in the negotiations is remote work, they said.

Though many employees started working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no language in their collective agreement defining how they can continue to do so moving forward.

“With the pandemic, we had to see a major shift immediately and everyone rolled with it as best they could,” Zurba said. “That’s something that needs to be identified and solidified.”

Both Zurba and Weisgerber said they thought what their union was asking for was reasonable.

“I think if people study the actual paid salaries of public servants versus public sector and provincial employees, they’ll find it’s not an unfair request,” Weisgerber said.

In Ottawa, cabinet ministers were at pains to say that their priority was a quick, fair and competitive deal Wednesday.

They sidestepped questions about the potential for back-to-work legislation even as the NDP, which is supporting the minority Liberals in a confidence-and-supply deal, said it would staunchly oppose such measures.

Treasury Board president Mona Fortier wouldn’t stipulate her government’s position on a back-to-work bill, and instead said she was hopeful that progress could be made with the union.

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said negotiations were paused and called on the union to come back to the table.

For its part, the union said it was waiting for a better offer from government before resuming talks. But a couple of hours later, Fortier confirmed that negotiations were ongoing.

PSAC’s national president Chris Aylward said Wednesday that 97,000 workers are on strike nationwide to push for higher wages and better working conditions.

Recently, the Liberal government has worked with unions and labour groups on various priorities, including the pursuit of anti-scab legislation. Its recent federal budget promised that such legislation, which would prohibit the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, would be tabled this calendar year.

But a fracture is forming as the union pushes the federal government for wage increases and other demands, including shift premiums and telework arrangements. The union is asking for a pay raise of 13.5 per cent over the next three years.

It said the increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living. The Treasury Board said it has offered the union a nine per cent raise over three years, on the recommendation of the third-party Public Interest Commission.

The CRA said it also offered its workers, who are represented by PSAC and the Union of Taxation Employees, a nine per cent raise over three years. However, the agency said the union’s bargaining unit countered with a proposal of 22.5 per cent over the next three years, which includes a market adjustment of two per cent.

Where the Opposition Conservatives stand on the union’s demands is unclear. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Tory MP Stephanie Kusie offered sympathy to workers who are struggling with the cost of living while blasting what she called Trudeau’s “incompetence.”

“We are calling on Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government to get their act together to resolve this strike, to come to an agreement,” she said, noting that Canadians will bear the brunt of service disruptions.

Since the strike involves nearly one-third of all federal public servants, both the union and the government have warned of such disruptions, including what could amount to a complete halt of the tax season.

Other concerns include slowdowns at the border and pauses to new EI, immigration and passport applications.

» cslark@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

» Twitter: @ColinSlark