Tag Archives: bargaining

PSAC declares impasse in Treasury Board bargaining over insulting wage offer

After nearly a year of negotiations with Treasury Board, we made the difficult decision to declare impasse for more than 120,000 of our members in the PA, SV, TC and EB groups.

This week, we filed for conciliation with the federal labour board, and we’ll be ramping up our pressure on the government across the country this summer to reach a fair settlement quickly.

Every round of bargaining matters, but this one is especially critical. So much has changed for our members over the past two years, and our collective agreements need to reflect that. We’ve seen how the pandemic has impacted the way we live and work, and now the cost of living is getting out of hand.

We’re asking for sensible improvements to our members’ working conditions so that workers aren’t left behind. We need more options for remote work and better work-life balance as we recover from the pandemic, inclusive workplaces, better job security and fair wages that keep up with rising inflation.

But all we’ve seen at the table is disrespect from Treasury Board and a complete disregard for the issues that matter most to PSAC members. They have flat-out rejected our proposals on mental health and anti-racism and discrimination training for all federal public service workers.

They’re also hell-bent on pushing through concessions around technological change, discipline, leave provisions, and the Work Force Adjustment policy that will hurt workers.

But the real tipping point was the government’s insulting wage offer averaging 1.75% per year over a four-year agreement from 2021-2025 that’s entirely out of touch with record-high inflation.

If the government expects PSAC members who have been getting Canadians through the pandemic to shoulder the costs of Canada’s recovery, they’re in for a rude awakening.

You deserve a fair and decent contract, and we’ll be counting on your support over the weeks and months ahead to fight for the issues that impact you.

Taking strike action is always a last resort, but if we need to go on strike to get the contract you deserve, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We need to be prepared, get mobilized, stay engaged, and be ready to take action.

In solidarity,

Chris Aylward
PSAC National President

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PA bargaining: Treasury Board ignores key wage, equity issues

Negotiations at the PA table are nearing the breaking point after Treasury Board presented their comprehensive offer on April 28 rife with concessions and which fails to respond to most of the PA team’s key demands.

The employer refused to budge on the unacceptable wage offer they presented at the Common Issues table in March, with economic increases averaging 1.75% per year that fall well below inflation. Treasury Board also completely ignored the PA team’s key demand for wage parity with members at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mental health and equity overlooked

The bargaining team was dismayed by Treasury Board’s silence on proposals related to mental health and equity. The employer did not respond to the team’s proposal for leave to support employee mental health and was completely silent about our proposal for an allowance to recognize employees who use Indigenous languages in the workplace.

Treasury Board continues to reject PSAC’s proposals for mandatory training to address systemic racism, harassment, and discrimination for all federal public service workers and managers at the Common Issues table. This has left the team with no evidence that the government recognizes the need to dismantle systemic racism and address discrimination in the federal public service.

Our bargaining team is very concerned about the lack of progress towards a fair deal for PA members.

Upcoming national event, stay updated

Other Treasury Board groups including SV, TC, and EB have bargaining dates set for May, which will give a clearer picture of how Treasury Board negotiations will shape up going forward.

As Treasury Board bargaining reaches a critical point, we encourage you to register for our May 17 national panel to discuss the latest bargaining news, why strong mobilization is more important than ever, and how other PSAC members have taken job action to win important victories during the pandemic.

You can also stay informed and engaged during this round of negotiations using our bargaining toolkit.

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB National Bargaining Conference brings together first ever women’s caucus

FB Conference Women's Caucus

A new round of negotiations for more than 8,500 PSAC-CIU members officially kicked off at the FB National Bargaining Conference — held in Ottawa March 31 to April 2 — where delegates from every CIU branch across Canada discussed the issues that will drive the next round of bargaining.

After issuing an input call for bargaining demands in December, PSAC received over 1,300 proposals from uniformed and non-uniformed members employed by the Canada Border Services Agency. Delegates reviewed and prioritized these submissions and discussed what to expect from the bargaining process.

Key bargaining issues raised at the conference included compensation improvements, pension reform, increases to leave provisions, discipline, early retirement benefits, hours of work, discrimination and harassment, job security, union rights, work-life balance, and health and safety.

Delegates also heard from members who were active in the last round of bargaining, as well as mobilization and organizing experts, to aid them in developing strategies to build on the success of last summer’s unprecedented mobilization actions, which ultimately helped secure a deal.

The conference broke new ground with women representing nearly half of all delegates at the conference and holding its first-ever women’s caucus. There were also many young workers in attendance. Overall, the conference brought together a diverse membership with experience in a multitude of roles, including border services officers, inland enforcement, hearings and intelligence.

It was also the first time the conference was held in a hybrid format that allowed delegates to participate in person in Ottawa and virtually from home.

The newly elected FB bargaining team consists of Michael William Fraser, Marjorie Gavel, Mathieu Landry, Jacqueline Monk, Lisa Morgan, Keith Palmer, Stewart Saunderson, and Jordan Smith. PSAC negotiator Morgan Gay and research officer Darren Pacione will also return to the team.

PSAC served Treasury Board with notice to bargain in February 2022. Following the conference, our newly elected bargaining team will meet at the end of April to finalize our bargaining proposals. We expect dates to be set for the first meeting with the employer in the coming months.

Stay in touch

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

If you have any questions, please contact your CIU branch president or PSAC regional office.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

TC bargaining: Frustration mounts with Treasury Board

Treasury Board yet again failed to respond to PSAC’s proposals during the latest round of negotiations with the Technical Services bargaining team March 22-24.

Treasury Board’s stalling tactics are disrespectful, with representatives coming to the table empty-handed for months while also failing to respond to PSAC’s clear demands. This is unacceptable and an insult to TC members who continue to be on the frontlines of the pandemic serving Canadians.

If this were not enough, the few crumbs that Treasury Board has proposed amount to concessions under the guise of “flexible work arrangements.” Their proposals would allow managers to change people’s schedules on short notice or change day-workers into shift workers with little notice. The proposal would provide managers with more scheduling flexibility at your expense.

PSAC expects Treasury Board to put forward their wage proposal at the Common Issues table during negotiations March 29-31.

We put forward our wage offer of 4.5 per cent per year for all Treasury Board members at the Common Issues table last November.

See PSAC’s final wage proposal

The TC bargaining team is also proposing several other important gains for members, including protections for hours of work, improvements to overtime, and fixing the long-broken classification system through the Occupational Group Structure review.

The TC bargaining team will continue to push for fair wages, a better classification system, and reasonable working conditions for all TC members.

Take action and show your support

Your support is critical to our success at the table. As negotiations reach a pivotal moment, it is more important than ever to get involved and put pressure on the government to come to the table ready to negotiate fair wages and working conditions.

Join our April 12 national panel on fair wages with a strong lineup of speakers.

And register now for our April 14 day of action where PSAC members from across the country will be coming together to take action and flood the lines of MPs and cabinet ministers to urging them to come to the table ready to bargain.

Support your bargaining team with our digital backgrounds and talk to your coworkers about bargaining with the tools in our bargaining toolkit:

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest updates about bargaining.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PA bargaining: Treasury Board stalls talks

Treasury Board continued to delay negotiations with the Program and Administrative Services bargaining team during negotiations March 22-24.

The PA team provided Treasury Board with a trimmed proposal package in February to try and move bargaining forward, but Treasury Board was unwilling to commit to any proposals.

PSAC expects Treasury Board to put forward their wage proposal at the Common Issues table during negotiations March 29-31.

We put forward our wage proposal of 4.5 per cent per year for all Treasury Board members at the Common Issues table last November. The PA pay proposal submitted in February builds on the Common Issues proposals, calling for additional adjustments and allowances for specific classifications within the PA group.

Common Issues

PSAC’s Common Issues bargaining team met with Treasury Board in February to discuss issues that impact members from every table, including work-life balance, wages, and new memorandums of understanding. Check out the full Common Issues update for more information.

Day of Action and stay in touch

Join our April 12 national panel on fair wages with a strong lineup of speakers.

And register now for our April 14 day of action where PSAC members from across the country will be coming together to take action and flood the lines of MPs and cabinet ministers, urging government to come to the table ready to bargain.

Stay informed and engaged during this round of negotiations using our bargaining toolkit.

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.