Striking federal workers want Trudeau to step in on negotiations

CITYnews halifax \ By The Canadian Press and Hana Mae Nassar

The president of Canada’s largest federal public service union says the government isn’t budging on a contract offer that would grant striking federal workers a nine per cent wage increase over three years.

Public Service Alliance of Canada National President Chris Aylward says the government told the union by email Tuesday night that it would not move from its latest offer, signalling a stalemate in the negotiations.

He’s calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in.

“If the prime minister can turn his back on these striking members, he will turn his back on every single worker in this country,” Aylward said Wednesday.

More than 150,000 public servants walked off the job on April 19 to back their demands for higher wages and work-from-home provisions, among other things.

• PSAC head Chris Aylward at a rally on Parliament Hill today. Negotiations between the federal government and striking federal workers seem to be hitting a snag. Listen to @CityNewsTO for the details #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/CoCtdLtPpQ

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) April 26, 2023

The union is calling for larger increases to wages to keep up with inflation — something Aylward says Canadians can understand.

“The majority of Canadians support this because they know what we’re asking for is only fair and reasonable for these workers. These workers are not making six figures. They’re not senior executives, as I said, making $40,000 to $65,000 a year,” he said.

“What we’re asking for is fair and reasonable, that simply keeps our members in line with the rate of inflation. Every single worker in this country deserves a fair and decent wage increase. As I said before, corporations are making record profits. We’re getting gouged every time we turn around, but yeah, everybody wants to repress the workers. That just doesn’t equate, that doesn’t compute at all. We’re fed up.”

• Together we win // Ensemble on gagnons pic.twitter.com/mZ1XKp72rC

— PSAC NCR | AFPC RCN (@PSACNCR) April 26, 2023

Trudeau has said the government is respecting the rights of federal civil servants to strike.

“It’s frustrating to know that Canadians may, as the days come, have more difficulty accessing services, but that’s a motivator for everyone to try and resolve this,” he said.

“The union is certainly very aware of Canadians’ impatience and they have to calibrate that carefully. As a government, we are there to respect collective bargaining. We’re there to make progress at the table, and right now, progress is being made. There’s an ebb and flow in these negotiations always, but we’re going to continue to stay positive.”

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser told reporters Wednesday morning citizenship ceremonies have been cancelled. He notes an immigration backlog is also growing as the strike continues, with tens of thousands of applications not being processed.

“Of course the longer any work stoppage goes on, the more severe the impacts are going to be. We’re going to continue to work to identify priority areas where people’s lives may be in danger to ensure that we can still maintain those essential functions,” Fraser said.

Federal workers blocked access to some roadway exits near downtown Ottawa Wednesday morning as crowds swelled on Parliament Hill for a rally. Across the country, many picket lines formed outside government buildings, including passport offices.