The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing over 150,000 federal workers, is calling a strike on Wednesday morning if no deal is reached with the government by Tuesday at 9 pm ET.
PSAC represents roughly 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and 120,000 employees in a variety of departments, including tradespeople, teachers, firefighters, Employment Insurance and Immigration workers.
National PSAC President Chris Aylward said Monday morning that the union and the federal government have made progress over the last few weeks but still have major disagreements that have not been addressed such as wages and remote work.
“Our members are frustrated,” said Aylward. “That while negotiations drag on, they continue to fall behind.”
“We’re setting a clock on this round of bargaining,” said Aylward. “If there is no deal reached by 9 pm ET tomorrow April 18, I am authorizing a national general strike beginning at 12:01 am on Wednesday, April 19.”
After members of PSAC voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking earlier this month, a spokesperson for the CRA told Global News that there is no plan to extend the deadline for Canadians who still need to file their taxes.
If a strike occurs, Canadians can expect serious delays and longer wait times in the last weeks before the deadline, especially those filed on paper.
The Union of Taxation Employees requested a 14-month backdated pay raise of 4.5%, a 2-month backdated pay raise of 8%, a future pay raise of 8% and a one-time pay increase of 9%, adding up to nearly 30% in raises.
