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Author of the article:
Catherine May • Policy Options
Publication date:
May 18, 2022 • 12 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 7 comments “Just like all workers in Canada, our members are already feeling the pinch and the worst is yet to come,” said PSAC President Chris Aylward of his members’ demands. recent labor negotiations with the federal government. Photo by Adrian Wild / Canadian Press / file
Content of the article
Canada’s largest federal union is withdrawing from contract negotiations over the government’s refusal to offer increases that keep pace with rising living costs.
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The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents 120,000 civil servants, has been blabbering on for a possible strike for weeks, but officially declared a dead end on Wednesday. The union is seeking reconciliation to help reach an agreement.
The big problem is salaries. The union is looking for an increase of 13.5% in three years – by 4.5% per year – compared to the Finance Ministry’s proposal of less than eight percent in four years. Both sides have also encountered obstacles to the future of work and anti-racism provisions, which the PSAC wants to include in all treaties.
“Like all workers in Canada, our members are already feeling the pinch, and the worst is yet to come,” said PSAC President Chris Aylward. “As Canada’s largest employer, Prime Minister Trudeau’s government must set an example by making sure workers are not far behind.
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This is the first round of negotiations in years with rising inflation. Inflation in Canada rose to 6.7% in March. Civil servants who provided the government’s response to COVID-19 while many worked from home want bigger increases, more remote work rights and the right to disconnect, so employees are not required to check emails and calls after work. time.
“This government cannot expect the workers who are taking us through the pandemic to bear the cost of rebuilding Canada,” Aylward said.
“Food, gas and utilities are becoming inaccessible. Now more than ever, workers need fair wages and good working conditions to help them cope with rising costs.
The PSAC, the largest of the 17 federal unions, is the first on the negotiating table in this round of negotiations, and its agreement usually sets a precedent for the others. It represents four large groups of negotiating workers. The government and the union negotiated for a year and held 28 days of negotiations.
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If an agreement cannot be reached through reconciliation, the PSAC said the union would be “forced to continue to escalate action across the country, up to and including strike action”.
However, months remain until the strike, and the last major PSAC strike was in 2004. The request for reconciliation went to the Federal Council for Labor Relations and Public Sector Employment. The Board may recommend the establishment of a Public Interest Commission to settle the dispute. This three-member committee includes nominees and executives and may take months to hold hearings and write a non-binding report.
As employers struggle with labor shortages, workers and unions are straining their muscles. The dynamics of this round of bargaining may also be influenced by the Liberals’ deal with the labor-friendly NDP and the $ 6 billion strategic review. Much of these savings are expected to come from reduced real estate costs by shifting public services to a hybrid workforce.
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The pandemic has made remote work – once called telecommuting – a major problem for federal unions. It covers departments, each of which is responsible for deciding where their employees work, and many of these employees want to continue working from home. Some departments require two or three days in the office; others offer full-time telecommuting.
At the same time, some government officials want to return to the office. Others, such as prison guards, ship’s crews or border guards, are unable to work from home. The departments are already prepared for an internal war for talent, as workers are looking for departments that will allow them to work where they want.
PSAC wants to negotiate a process to avoid arbitrary management decisions about where employees work and to ensure consistency in how to manage access to remote work in the public service.
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At the same time, the PSAC seeks a better work-life balance for remote workers with “right to interrupt” provisions, which give workers the right to say “no” to calls and text messages after working hours. Contracts already deal with overtime when employees are called back to work. The union wants protection so that workers are not punished for exercising the right of interruption.
The PSAC also wants to ensure that civil servants receive anti-racist training and education on indigenous history, as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The government provides training, but PSAC wants it to be enshrined in collective agreements to ensure greater use. Other demands include better job security and the abolition of the privatization of public services.
This article was created with the support of the Accenture Fellowship for the future of public service. Read more of Catherine’s columns here.
This article first appeared in Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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