The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has announced that tentative agreements have been reached for over 120,000 Treasury Board workers who had been on strike all throughout last week.
Members of the PA, SV, TC and EB bargaining groups were set to return to work Monday, with only workers at Canada Revenue Agency remaining on strike.
PSAC says the wage increases secured are above the recommendations of the Public Interest Commission as well as those negotiated by other federal bargaining agents, with national president Chris Aylward saying they made important gains for 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 Aylward.
“This agreement delivers important gains for our members that will set the bar for all workers in Canada.”
Workers will receive wage increases totaling 12.6% compounded over the four year agreement, retroactive to 2021.
The union had been seeking a 13.5% wage increase over three years but moved off that demand, after turning down the 9% raise over three years recommended by an arbitrator.
Clarity around expectations for remote work was also a sticking point in negotiations, with PSAC saying the tentative deal give members additional protection against “arbitrary decisions about remote work”.
Remote work and telework remains a central issue for CRA workers represented by the Union of Taxation Employees (PSAC-UTE).
When picket lines began nearly two weeks ago, UTE Local President Jacqueline Whyman said CRA employees were lauded for their pivot to remote work during the pandemic, and are now seemingly having that option taken away without explanation.
“The employers asked us to pivot, work from home, get all these benefits out to the general public who were in need of them… then they praised us for being able to do that,” Whyman said.
“We’ve all rearranged our lives to have a better work/life balance and now that’s kind of being taken away from us and we’re being forced into the office when we were fine and capable of doing our work from home.”
PSAC says the union continues to seek written arrangements for members to have the right to telework, and for management to have to justify why not in lieu of that.
Discussions also continue around wages in the face of inflation and job security.
Picket lines in Kingston are expecting to be dissipated as of Monday, with the nearest PSAC official picket line slated for the Canada Post building in Ottawa.
