Ottawa: Canada’s largest federal public service union has signalled to go on strike after talks with the employer failed over the weekend. This could be the largest strike against an employer alone in Canada’s history.
Negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Treasury Board were going on for the weekend and the union was saying that this was the last chance for the government to reach a deal.
In a statement issued on Friday, the union announced to hold a news conference in Ottawa on Monday morning. It was also said that this is the last opportunity for the government to show respect to the workers.
Workers can’t wait longer and we are ready to go on strike. A total of 155,000 employees are in a hurry to go on strike, of which 35,000 are from the Canada Revenue Agency. The union’s demand is an increase in wages because this rate of inflation and the increase in the inflation rate made it difficult for Canadians to survive in June.
The government is talking about an average 2 per cent increase in salary every year, for five years, while the union is demanding a 4.5 per cent increase in annual salaries.
The union also wants a ban on contract-based work, demands for more training against racism and the issues of arranging remote work are also on the agenda.