On Strike

 source:La Presse

author: Lila Dussault

translation: BingTranslate/doxa-louise

Montreal

Hundreds of striking federal employees protest

Hundreds of federal public service strikers gathered in downtown Montreal on Wednesday to demand honest negotiations with their employer. This is the first walkout on this scale in more than 30 years.

Canadian federal employees carried out their threat of a general strike Wednesday morning, after another failure of negotiations with their employer Tuesday night.

In Montreal, hundreds of employees gathered on René-Lévesque Boulevard West, in front of the offices of the Canada Revenue Agency and Transport Canada. With upbeat music in the background, shouting at the sounds of motorists' horns, these strikers are ready to stay.

The Canadian Public Service collective agreement expired in 2021.

Pickets were also organized at five separate locations in Montreal and Longueuil.

"The public service is entitled to decent salaries, as much as people in the private sector," says Audrey Parenteau, who has been working in administration at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for the past year and a half. "We are just as affected by inflation," she adds. Both parties must negotiate in good faith."

At the forefront of union demands: a wage increase competitive with inflation and the question of the obligation to work at the workplace.

"We have 6500 members in Quebec, and about 2000 of them were hired from home. Now, they are asked to return to the office, which is not necessarily close to their home," explains Judith Côté, National Vice-President for Quebec of the Canadian Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU).

The return to the office of federal public servants, two or three days a week, was announced by Treasury Board last December. This measure has been denounced by unions, including the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. It indicated in February that 1100 members had made requests to their union because of problems with the return to the office, whether in access to a daycare or problems with computer equipment.

"We have archaic tools and an archaic computer network," denouncesMs. Côté. And often, we learn about procedural changes from the media. »

[Our employer] is not assessing the impact of these procedural changes," adds Annik Beamish, another Quebec national vice-president for CEIU. "They have changed the way they work, of making files, without any support or follow-up. People were thrown about during the pandemic, have worked overtime. There they are exhausted. That is the current climate, and our employer refuses to acknowledge it. »

The issue of inflation

Another point of contention between the Treasury Board and union members is wage increases. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is asking for a salary increase of 13.5% over three years, or 4.5% annually. This increase would cover the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.

"It's even less than inflation," says Ms. Côté, who does not explain the Treasury Board's most recent offer, which is rather 9% over three years.

This proposal angered a Canadian Heritage employee met on site, who preferred not to give his name. In particular, he is frustrated by the automatic wage increases granted to MPs on April 1, which go hand in hand with inflation and increases in private industry.

What bothers Fiona, an employee of  Service Canada, the most is her employer's expectation that she will continue to adapt and work regardless. "Without any wage increase, despite inflation, despite all the adaptations, despite the pandemic," she says. I am here to fight for my rights. »

"It's high time for our employer to listen to our demands," says Judith Côté.