Negotiations with the federal government made “some progress” on pay and job security issues over the weekend, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents workers, argued on Sunday. 150,000 employees still on strike.
“This weekend, we made a little progress in terms of compensation and job security. We know that our members want to return to work to provide the population with the services they need, but we also know that workers can no longer continue to lose ground,” the union said Sunday, in a brief report. posted on social media.
It argues that we must at all costs “stay at the table until we get the fair and equitable agreement that our members deserve”.
The union and the government had confirmed on Friday that discussions at the Treasury Board tables have resumed and will continue throughout the weekend. “Our teams worked very late last night and are back at the table this morning. Negotiations are also continuing for our members at the Canada Revenue Agency,” PSAC said Sunday.
On Saturday, the federal government had claimed that its new offer presented on Friday is “fair, competitive and reasonable” – warning that it is a “final offer”. The union confirmed having received the new offer from the government, but preferred not to comment further due to the resumption of discussions.
“This final offer, which includes improvements to salary and non-salary conditions, is fair, competitive and reasonable, and we believe that public servants should have the opportunity to review the details to assess it,” argued the Secretariat. of the Treasury Board of Canada in a statement sent to the media.
Recall that more than 100,000 PSAC members left work on April 19, failing to agree with Ottawa on the terms of a new collective agreement. PSAC employment contracts expire in 2021.
The collective agreements affect a total of 155,000 federal workers, but the Trudeau government considers about 46,000 of them to be essential workers who do not participate in the job action.
Throughout the past week, strikers have marched across the country to voice their dissatisfaction with talks with the federal government. Officials also demonstrated in front of the entrances to ports, including that of Montreal, and border crossings, such as Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, in Montérégie.
