(Ottawa) The strike of some 35,000 employees of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is over. A tentative agreement has been reached between the federal government and the union that represents them, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
The announcement came overnight Thursday, days after the two sides struck separate deals that ended a strike by more than 120,000 other civil servants earlier this week.
CRA employees were still on strike, two days after the federal deadline for filing personal income tax returns.
The union has asked members to return to work no later than Thursday, May 4, at 11:30 a.m. EST.
In a statement, the Public Service Alliance writes that the tentative agreement includes wage increases totaling 12.6% for the duration of the agreement, from 2021 to 2024, as well as an additional fourth year that protects workers against inflation.
Earlier in the negotiations, the union of tax employees had demanded a 20.5% increase over a three-year period.
The agreement also provides for a one-time pensionable lump sum payment of $2,500 which represents 3.6% more of the average member’s salary.
In its own press release, the Canada Revenue Agency states that with the union, it has reached a tentative agreement on telework outside the collective agreement. The two parties will undertake a review of the directive on virtual working arrangements and will create an advisory committee to address employee concerns.
On Wednesday, the union threatened to send its members to disrupt a convention of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) in Ottawa on Thursday if the employer did not file a fair agreement.
