Global Courant 2023-04-30 20:43:00
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) plans to bring busloads of workers from Montreal for a major rally in Ottawa on Monday if the union and federal government fail to reach an agreement this weekend.
More than 155,000 federal workers represented by PSAC have been on strike since April 19, gradually ramping up strike action in the national capital region and across the country.
In an email to members obtained by CTV News, Alex Silas, PSAC’s regional executive vice president for the national capital region, says 20 buses of Montreal members will join the picket in Ottawa on Monday to mark International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day.
A picket line at Place du Portage in Gatineau, near the office of Liberal MP Greg Fergus, will march across the Ottawa River to parliament at 9:30 a.m., the email says, to join the picketers outside the office the Prime Minister’s office on Wellington Street and the Treasury Board’s office on Elgin Street.
Picket lines will also be set up at the following locations:
The Constituency Office of President Mona Fortier of the Treasury Board, 233. Montreal Rd. Canada Post, 2701 Riverside Dr. Tunney’s Weiland, 100 Tunney’s Weiland Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde’s office, 255 Center Blvd. Agriculture and agri-food Canada, 1341 Baseline Rd. Liberal MP Steve MacKinnon’s office, 160 boul. de l’Hopital, Gatineau
The federal government submitted its “final offer” on Friday. It includes unspecified “solutions” to key bottlenecks at the negotiating table, including remote work, contractor hiring and seniority, and an “increased wage offer.”
The government did not give details of what it had offered, but the “improved wage offer” suggests it has moved away from its long-held stance of a nine percent wage increase over three years. PSAC national president Chris Aylward previously said nine percent were non-starters, but admitted to backing away from the union’s demand for a 13.5 percent increase over three years.
Silas’ email does not address the government’s offer, saying only that the union hopes to “have an update soon”.
In a thread on Twitter, PSAC said negotiating teams negotiated throughout the day on Saturday and will resume talks on Sunday morning, adding that talks are underway with the Canada Revenue Agency.
“Over the weekend, we made some progress on our wage demands and job security,” the union said. “We know that PSAC members want to get back to work and provide the services Canadians depend on, but we also know that workers can’t be left behind, which is why we’ll sit around the table until we get our members’ fair contract. ” to deserve.”
As we reported on Friday, negotiations for PSAC’s Treasury Board negotiating units resumed and continued into the weekend. Our negotiating teams negotiated late into Saturday night and continued this morning.
Talks are also underway with Canada Revenue Agency. 1/4
— PSAC-AFPC (@psac_afpc) April 30, 2023
Monday would be the thirteenth day of the federal civil servants’ strike.
