Canada's public servants stage massive strike over wages

Tens of thousands of federal public servants went on strike after the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, or PSAC, failed to reach a deal before a Tuesday evening deadline.

The union, which represents 155,000 public servants in Canada, said it is striking for fair wages, better work-life balance, more workplace inclusiveness and reduced layoffs through the creation of more jobs, rather than contracting positions to private organizations.

"We are still a ways apart, but we're staying at the table because we're still hopeful and our goal is still to get to a tentative agreement," Chris Aylward, national president of the PSAC, told reporters late on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, public servants went on what their union termed a "historic strike", hitting picket lines at more than 250 locations across the country, blowing whistles and waving placards that read "Support the public service" and "Stop outsourcing".

Canada last saw a strike of this size in 1991.

"It's no secret that life is expensive and it's important that wages reflect the value of our work," said Pierre, a 32-year-old government worker in Montreal who declined to give his last name.

"The public service is part of the collective wealth and it must not be allowed to deteriorate."

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said it had "done everything it can" to reach a deal with its workers.

"The government has presented a fair, competitive offer to the PSAC and responded to all their demands," it said in a news release on Tuesday night.

'Unaffordable demands'

"Even though there is a competitive deal on the table, the PSAC continues to insist on demands that are unaffordable and would severely impact the government's ability to deliver services to Canadians."

The PSAC is seeking a 4.5 percent annual wage increase over three years, saying Ottawa's proposed 2.07 percent yearly wage hike was too low.

Another key issue is ensuring that PSAC members can continue to work remotely. The union said that over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, public service workers proved to be as effective working remotely as when they were in the office, and that 90 percent of workers want to continue working remotely.

"Because we all had to upend our lives when the pandemic hit," Chris Foucault, president of the Union of Taxation Employees in Sudbury, told the media.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was important that negotiations continue. Speaking in Winnipeg on April 13, he said the cost of living is "a real challenge" because of inflation.

Agencies contributed to this story.