Canada : PSAC returns to bargaining table: Time to see if the Liberals' promise of respect is real
Our bargaining teams return to negotiations with Treasury Board this week, and the results could impact more than 80,000 federal government workers and the services they provide to Canadians.
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Better working conditions for public sector workers means better public services for all. Our members protect Canadians from food poisoning, make sure people get access to Employment Insurance, fight fires and ensure that railways and waterways are safe.
That’s why we are seeking improvements and refusing concessions in this round of bargaining. Here is what we want:
- To restore the public services damaged by years of Conservative cuts and to negotiate fairer treatment for workers when service delivery changes.
- To create healthier workplaces, not a system where people are forced to choose between a pay cheque and going to work sick.
- To be paid fair wages that keep up with inflation and the job market
PSAC has met with the employer 10 times over the last three years. This session represents a make-it-or-break-it opportunity for the Liberal government. Despite promises of “sunnier days,” Treasury Board seems insistent on continuing to take direction from the former Conservative government’s play book.
When we met in June, Treasury Board held to its position that the Workforce Adjustment Appendix does not require significant changes. We strongly disagree, given the stress and turmoil that so many PSAC members faced during a four-year period of public sector cuts and layoffs.
“This is an insult. The Trudeau government needs to show that respect for the public service is more than just a campaign slogan,” said Benson. “They can start by breaking from the Conservatives’ approach; we need to see real movement at the bargaining table.”
PSAC is also seeking new collective agreement language that would support workplace childcare, and an expansion of the definition of “family” to be more inclusive of diverse families and dependent relationships.
PSAC’s unfair labour practice complaint relating to Phoneix and bargaining will also be heard this week by the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board. By not providing timely and accurate pay to its employees, we believe the employer has changed the conditions of employment during collective bargaining and has violated the Public Service Labour Relations Act.