OTTAWA – The largest federal worker strike in Canadian history has come to an end, as the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced a tentative contract agreement with the Treasury Board on Monday morning.
Despite this resolution, PSAC reports that strike action remains ongoing for 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency across the country, as contract negotiations continue.
Over 100,000 union members had initiated the strike on April 19th, after negotiations between the union and government failed to yield new contract agreements for expired agreements from 2021.
After nearly two years of bargaining leading to one of the largest strikes in Canadian history, PSAC has reached tentative agreements for the more than 120,000 Treasury Board workers who deliver critical services to Canadians.
With the national strike now over for Treasury Board workers, members of the PA, SV, TC and EB bargaining groups are required to return to work beginning May 1 at 9 a.m. ET or their next scheduled shift after that date.
In this tentative agreement, PSAC has secured a fair contract for members that exceeds the employer’s original offer before the launch of strike action, and provides wage increases above the recommendations of the Public Interest Commission as well as those negotiated by other federal bargaining agents. It also provides significant new protections around remote work for PSAC members.
“During a period of record-high inflation and soaring corporate profits, workers were told to accept less – but our members came together and fought for better,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “This agreement delivers important gains for our members that will set the bar for all workers in Canada.”
PSAC negotiated wage increases totaling 12.6% compounded over the life of the agreement from 2021-2024. PSAC secured an additional fourth year in the agreement that protects workers from inflation, as well as a pensionable $2,500 one-time lump sum payment that represents an additional 3.7% of salary for the average PSAC member in Treasury Board bargaining units.