OTTAWA – NEWS – The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has announced that over 155,000 of its members working for the Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency will begin strike action on April 19th. Picket lines will go up in over 250 locations across the country, setting the stage for one of the largest strikes in Canada’s history.
PSAC National President, Chris Aylward, expressed disappointment in having to resort to strike action but stated that the union has exhausted all other avenues to reach a fair contract for Canada’s Federal Public Service workers. He emphasized that workers need fair wages, good working conditions, and inclusive workplaces, and taking strike action is the only way to achieve that.
The strike will begin at 12:01am ET on April 19th, and with nearly a third of the entire federal public service workers on strike, Canadians can expect to see slowdowns or a complete shutdown of services nationwide. This includes disruptions to the tax season, employment insurance, immigration, and passport applications, as well as interruptions to supply chains and international trade at ports, and slowdowns at the border with administrative staff on strike.
PSAC has set up a picket line finder tool to help members and public supporters locate the nearest picket line. The union has also stated that their bargaining teams will remain at the table, ready to reach a fair deal as soon as the government is ready to come to the table with a fair offer.
Negotiations between PSAC and Treasury Board began in June 2021 but reached an impasse in May 2022. The Public Service Alliance of Canada is Canada’s largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada, including more than 120,000 federal public service workers employed by Treasury Board and more than 35,000 employed by the Canada Revenue Agency.
