Canada’s largest federal public service union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, has announced that 120,000 workers will participate in nationwide strike votes beginning next month. This decision comes after contract negotiations with the federal government reached an impasse.
Voting is scheduled to take place from November 16 to January 22, giving union members the opportunity to have their say on the proposed terms.
The union has been in talks with the Treasury Board for the past year and a half, expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s wage offer of less than one per cent per year. PSAC has labeled the offer as “insulting” and raised concerns about key issues such as wages, job security, remote work, and safeguards against the impacts of artificial intelligence.
The diverse group of workers involved in the strike votes includes wildland firefighters, passport and benefit officers, fishery officers, federal teachers, librarians, and administrative staff.
This development follows a previous labor dispute in 2023, where 155,000 federal public servants engaged in a strike that resulted in wage increases totaling 12.6% over the agreement’s term from 2021 to 2024.
