Canada's Largest Federal Public Service Union Goes on Strike

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced that over 155,000 citizens working for working for Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency go on strike on Wednesday.

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"PSAC wants better wages for its members — claiming that federal public service workers are struggling with the high cost of living," the legal advice firm Stlawyers explained.

"Last fall, the federal government offered to raise wages by 2.06 per cent on average over four years. Instead, the union is calling for a 4.5 per cent increase in 2021, 2022, and 2023."

While negotiations between PSAC and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat began in June 2021, they reached an impasse in May 2022.

"We truly hoped we wouldn't be forced to take strike action, but we've exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract for public service workers," PSAC President Chris Aylward said.

"We're ready to reach a fair deal as soon as the government is ready to come to the table with a fair offer," he added.

PSAC is Canada's largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers in every province and territory, including 120,000 workers employed by the Treasury Board and 35,000 employed by the Canada Revenue Agency.