Affected employees – in the areas of technical services (TC), programs and administration (PA), operations (SV) and education and librarianship (EB) – will therefore usually return to their workplace from 9 a.m. These four groups represent 120,000 of the 155,000 civil servants who went on strike 13 days ago.
The 35,000 federal employees without a preliminary agreement fall under the Union of Taxation Employees, which negotiates with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
salary increase
If PSAC members agree to the tentative agreement, they will receive cumulative wage increases of 12.6% over four years (1.5% in 2021, 4.75% in 2022, 3.5% in 2023 and 2.25% in 2024).
Originally, the PSAC required 4.5% per year for three years. In an offer made just before the strike began, the Treasury had offered a 9 percent pay rise over three years.
Civil servants are also entitled to a pensionable lump sum of $2,500. Each of the groups covered by the agreement has also received its own adjustments, the PSAC specifies in its update, without giving any further details.
For union members nearing retirement, the lump sum raises the average salary of their top five pay years, increasing their pension benefits.
Telecommuting and Seniority
Money isn’t always the most important part, argued executive vice president of the Canadian Labor Congress Larry Rousseau in an interview on Tout un matin at the ICI premiere in Montreal. If we look at the whole thing, I think that’s very honorable.
Teleworking, the other major point of contention between the state and employees, is also part of the basic agreements. The union says it has negotiated an agreement that stipulates that managers must review teleworking requests on a case-by-case basis and provide a written response to each one.
Members and the union can thus ensure that the employer treats any request fairly and fairly, the PSAC explains.
Larry Rousseau, executive vice president of the Canadian Labor Congress (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Vicky Lefebvre
In an interview, Larry Rousseau clarified that this should give employees the ability to have recourse if a manager requires them to return to the workplace in cases where they believe they are capable of remote work perform just as effectively. It’s about eliminating disputed cases, he qualified.
The agreements also include safeguards against contracting, allowing public officials to keep their jobs if they can perform the duties of a government contractor.
For Mr. Rousseau, this is a win that goes beyond pay considerations as he recalls the cuts in Canada’s public sector initiated under Conservatives a decade ago.
It was a principle that the[AFPC] previously not recognized in its collective agreements. […] Seniority is brought forward, so in the future when a government decides to downsize, we will use seniority as the basis. It’s in the contract now, he explained.
Similarly, in addition to protecting workers from inflation, the fourth year of the agreement should allow Canadian public employees not to renegotiate the agreement with a possible future minority Conservative government.
From personal experience [pour avoir négocié avec les conservateurs]Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to do it again, he said.
You know, officials stay, but governments change. You never know who you’ll have in the future, which justifies including those wins in the law, he continued.
Larry Rousseau commended the government for finding a solution at the negotiating table without resorting to specific legislation to force a return to work.
Officials are returning to work as early as Monday instead of going to the picket lines. (file photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
At a news conference Monday noon, Treasury Department President Mona Fortier indicated that this deal would cost taxpayers $1.3 billion annually. That’s less than half the estimated cost of PSAC’s original claims, she added.
“These agreements are fair, competitive and reasonable and will bring stability to officials and Canadians. »
— A quote from Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board
Teams are getting back to work providing services to Canadians, but Ms Fortier has not given the timeframe for a full return. Negotiations continue with 20 of the 28 negotiating units across the civil service.
So far, six agreements have been made, which corresponds to about 55 percent of officials in the central public administration, it said.
Treasury President Mona Fortier (file photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
For his part, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented that work at the negotiating table is often complex but is always done in good faith. All the different parties worked very hard for days to reach an agreement that seems to be working.
PSAC members are asked to ratify the tentative agreement in an online vote, the date of which has yet to be determined.
The regional vice-president of the union of health and environmental workers of the PSAC, Diane Girouard, is satisfied with the agreement, particularly with the benefits for teleworking, which was very, very important, she confides.
The return to work impacted the mental health of many members, who were unable to readjust. Members did not want to experience transport again, despite performing very well at home, explains the one whose union represents some 13,000 members across the country.
tax loophole
These interim agreements represent significant benefits for our members and set the bar for all workers across the country, PSAC National President Chris Aylward noted in the update released by the union.
The 35,000 Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) officials clearly didn’t meet the same bar in their negotiations with the CRA.
An update published on the organization’s website indicates this [le syndicat] We managed to resolve some issues related to work schedules and related information [lui] the employer makes available[il] communicate more easily and effectively [ses] members.
However, telecommuting, compensation and job security – three of the issues that the PSAC puts forward to boast of the success of its negotiations – are still issues with the CRA.
UTE President Marc Brière declined interview requests Monday morning.
We will negotiate all day and I do not wish to interfere in the process, he wrote in an emailed statement.
The union announced later Monday morning that the PSAC/UTE negotiating team will enter a negotiation blitz with the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) this morning to reach a fair and reasonable settlement for our 35,000 members.
Meanwhile, the CRA strike continues and our members are on the picket line. UTE executives will not be providing further details at this time and will not be giving interviews until further notice, she adds.
Alex Silas continues to picket for the 35,000 striking civil servants. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Mateo Garcia-Tremblay
For his part, Alex Silas, regional vice president of PSAC in the capital region, believes that the deadlocks at the Treasury Department must be unblocked.
We assume we have the same offer and can also discuss specific questions for CRA workers.