They’re now piling on.
As of Wednesday, almost half of the entire federal public service is geared up for strike action as a group of workers, which is called the Treasury Board group by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), is now in a legal strike position.
A spokesperson for Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in a statement that their goal is to reach a deal at the bargaining table as soon as possible, and they believe “significant headway” had been made in the last week.
PSAC president Chris Aylward did not say when a strike could happen. Legally, the union now starts a 60-day window to call a strike.
The union also didn’t share how many of its 123,856 members voted in favour. But he said an “overwhelming majority” voted for a strike mandate.
A different bargaining group of about 35,000 PSAC workers at the Canada Revenue Agency voted in favour of strike action Friday ahead of mediation talks set to take place later this month.
That means 155,000 federal public servants represented by PSAC—more than half the total number of federal civil servants—now have a strike mandate. It would be the largest strike in Canadian history if they go through with it.
There have only been two Canada-wide federal public service strikes in the last 30-plus years, in 1991 and in 2004.
The 1991 strike delayed grain shipments, flights and cross-border travel, while the 2004 strike involved hundreds of picket lines set up at federal offices, tax centres, ports, airports and border crossings.
In the late summer of 2004, strikes by Parks Canada workers temporarily shut many national parks as well as the Rideau Canal.
The Treasury Board said the government was “disappointed” about the strike vote and that there was “lots of room to reach a fair and reasonable agreement for public servants.”
The Treasury Board last shared an offer to increase wages by 2.06% on average over four years, up from an average of 1.7% per year. The union’s last public proposal was 4.5% for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The minister’s office statement Wednesday said a labour relations board report two months ago also gives “a realistic path to an agreement.”
It recommended wage increases of 1.5% in 2021, 4.5% for 2022 and 3% for 2023.
In January, the union announced strike votes for the Treasury Board group due to a disagreement with the department over proposed wage increases that are outstripped by the rate of inflation.
Aylward said Wednesday most members make between $40,000 and $65,000 a year and they are struggling with the inflated cost of living.
“PSAC members are feeling squeezed along with everyone else,” Aylward told a news conference Wednesday.
“Our members have been without a contract since 2021. Today, an overwhelming majority of our members have told us they can’t wait any longer, and they are prepared to strike to secure a fair deal that won’t see them fall behind.
“Our members don’t take the decision to strike lightly. They know that a strike will be difficult for them and for the Canadians who depend on the services they provide. But they’re exercising their bargaining power because they just can’t wait any longer. … They’re sending a message to the government that they won’t be taken for granted,” Aylward said.
“The Government of Canada values the important role its employees play in delivering services to Canadians and is committed to reaching collective agreements that are both fair to employees and reasonable for Canadian taxpayers,” Treasury Board Secretariat said in a statement.
“It remains our goal to reach an agreement at the bargaining table as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Wages are the main issue of contention between the government and the union, with PSAC asking for a 13.5% raise over three years and Treasury Board offering 8.25% over four years.
“When the federal government, Canada’s largest employer by far, suppresses wages for its workers, what they’re really doing is pushing down wages for all workers across all sectors,” Aylward said.
A report by an impartial Public Interest Commission recommended a 9% raise over three years, but Aylward said that wasn’t sufficient.
“Is it a path forward? Yes it is,” he said. “Is it going to settle this round of bargaining? No it will not.”
