Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Public service union to picket at locations with more impact as strike enters Day 6

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Apr, 2023 10:09 AM
  • Public service union to picket at locations with more impact as strike enters Day 6

OTTAWA — One of Canada's largest labour disruptions has entered a sixth day as the union representing thousands of striking public-service workers looks to hamper access to ports.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says more than 100,000 of its staff remain on strike, some of whom are expected to move their picket lines Monday to strategic locations more likely to have an impact on the federal government. 

"We're actually going to be escalating those actions," said Chris Aylward, the union's national president, giving the example of heightened activity at "ports across the country."

Over the weekend, both sides accused each other of obstructing negotiations and being too slow to respond to key developments. 

Aylward called on the prime minister to intervene and blasted the government for failing to reach a deal two years ago when negotiations began. 

"This screams of the incompetence of Mona Fortier as the president of the Treasury Board, and her team," he said at a press conference Saturday afternoon. 

Still, negotiations continued at a steady drip.

The union president said the Treasury Board had presented an offer on Saturday afternoon, and the union had countered with its own proposal the same day. 

Fortier's office said it made a second proposal Saturday that the union had not responded to by late Sunday.

Aylward ultimately acknowledged the government's additional offer but said it did nothing to advance the union's wage demands. The union is also fighting to enshrine other measures, such as telework, into the collective agreement.

Meanwhile, the Union of Taxation Employees, a subdivision of the public-service alliance that is separately negotiating a contract for more than 35,000 striking Canada Revenue Agency workers, said it hasn't been at the bargaining table since Tuesday. 

Earlier in their negotiations, the CRA offered a wage increase of nine per cent over a three-year period on the recommendations of the third-party Public Interest Commission. But the union has been pushing for a 20.5 per cent increase over the same time frame.

Marc Brière, the national president of the taxation employees' union, says the union is waiting for the Treasury Board to come back with a fair offer and is ready to come back to the bargaining table when that happens.

"There's been close to zero progress over the weekend, and we are very upset," said Brière.

In a statement on Friday, the tax agency said it was calling for the union to return to mediated negotiations in person, but that proposals were still being exchanged on other issues specific to the CRA.

As it digs into a limited strike fund to sustain the nearly week-long job action, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is insisting it will be able to find other financing to continue offering strike pay if the fund gets depleted.

MORE National ARTICLES

Abbotsford's MJ Mouat Secondary school was under lockdown

Abbotsford's MJ Mouat Secondary school was under lockdown
Investigators believe the original information provided to police was unfounded and that no active shooter was ever present at the school. Police can confirm that no suspect was ever seen on the school grounds, nor were any shots fired. Further, no students or staff were harmed in this incident.

Abbotsford's MJ Mouat Secondary school was under lockdown

Pet dog infected with avian flu in Canada

Pet dog infected with avian flu in Canada
There have been no cases of humans being infected with the virus in Canada. There was one "travel-related" human case reported in early 2014, the Public Health Agency of Canada has previously said.

Pet dog infected with avian flu in Canada

B.C. $55M lotto winner plans retirement, new home

B.C. $55M lotto winner plans retirement, new home
Gurney, who's from Sidney on Vancouver Island, says news of the single winning ticket purchased locally was all over the radio, so he checked his Lotto App. He says he called in his assistant to confirm the number, which she originally thought was $55,000, but then they realized it was $55 million and couldn't do anything for the rest of the day.

B.C. $55M lotto winner plans retirement, new home

B.C. nurses agreement has nurse-to-patient ratio

B.C. nurses agreement has nurse-to-patient ratio
Nurses union president Aman Grewal says the change will not only help a strained and understaffed health-care system retain nurses, but will also improve patient outcomes. The 48,000 members of the B.C. Nurses' Union will start to vote on the new agreement on April 20.    

B.C. nurses agreement has nurse-to-patient ratio

Boundary commission seeks six new B.C. ridings

Boundary commission seeks six new B.C. ridings
Of the six newly proposed electoral districts, the commission says four should be located in Burnaby, Langley, Surrey and Vancouver. It says many ridings across Greater Vancouver continue to grow quickly and are already more than 25 per cent above the quotient that ensures fair representation by population.

Boundary commission seeks six new B.C. ridings

62 year old woman robbed by 5 unknown males: Abbotsford Police

62 year old woman robbed by 5 unknown males: Abbotsford Police
During the robbery, the suspects presented a firearm demanding money from the victim before stealing and leaving in the victim’s vehicle. Both the victim’s stolen vehicle and the suspect vehicle used to arrive at the victim’s property have been located and seized by police. Although shaken, the victim and other occupants at the property were not injured.

62 year old woman robbed by 5 unknown males: Abbotsford Police