Global Courant 2023-05-04 14:28:37
OTTAWA –
The public sector union representing Canadian tax service workers has reached a tentative deal with the federal government, ending a strike by 35,000 workers just after the end of tax season.
The announcement of a future agreement comes after the government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada struck separate deals that ended a strike by more than 120,000 other civil servants.
CRA employees represented by PSAC’s Union of Taxation Employees were still on strike two days past the federal tax filing deadline.
The union is calling on members to return to work no later than 11:30 a.m. ET on May 4.
In a statement, PSAC said the tentative deal includes wage increases compounded a total of 12.6 percent over the life of the 2021-2024 agreement, as well as an additional fourth year in the agreement that protects workers from inflation. The preliminary agreement also includes a one-time lump sum payment of $2,500, which represents an additional 3.6 percent of salary for the average participant.
In its own release, the CRA said it and PSAC reached a tentative settlement over telecommuting outside of the collective bargaining agreement. It said both agreed to review the virtual work arrangements directive and set up a panel to advise the commissioner and deputy commissioner on workers’ concerns.
The union threatened earlier Wednesday that it would send its members to disrupt a liberal party convention in Ottawa on Thursday if the employer did not make a “fair” deal.
The separate agreements that PSAC negotiated with the government included an 11.5 percent wage increase over four years.
Earlier in the negotiations, the tax workers’ union had pushed for a 20.5 percent increase over three years.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 4, 2023
