Canada’s Largest Strike Mostly ends as PSAC and Treasury Board Reach Agreement

May 1, 2023: After almost two years of intense bargaining and one of the largest strikes in Canadian history, good news has arrived for some workers.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Treasury Board have reached a tentative agreement for over 120,000 workers who provide important services to Canadians.

However, 30,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees still remain on strike.

Now that the strike is over for Treasury Board workers, members of the PA, SV, TC, and EB groups need to return to work starting May 1 at 9 a.m. ET or their next scheduled shift.

This agreement will restore very important services such as Passports, and immigration services.

During a time of high inflation and rising corporate profits, workers were asked to accept less. But PSAC members joined together and fought for better wages and working conditions.

This agreement delivers important gains for our members that will set the bar for all workers in Canada.

Chris Aylward, PSAC national president

PSAC announced the update on the negotiations on their campaign’s website Workerscantwait.ca.

What’s in the Agreement?

The Union went to the table with over 570 demands. The Government and the Union’s negotiations were put on hold because of the 4 key demands of the PSAC.

Treasury Board’s President Mona Fortier, once even called the demands of its own employees ‘unreasonable’. The new agreed upon agreement contains an offer higher than the Third Party Interest commission’s recommendation.

Here are the highlights of the new agreed upon offer:

1. Wages: PSAC negotiated a 12.6% wage increase over the life of the agreement from 2021-2024. This includes an extra fourth year that protects workers from inflation. There’s also a one-time pensionable payment of $2,500, equal to an extra 3.7% of salary for the average PSAC member.
2. Remote Work: PSAC members now have better protection when it comes to remote work. Managers must assess remote work requests individually and provide written responses. This helps ensure fair decision-making on remote work.
3. Safer and More Inclusive Workplaces: The agreement creates a joint committee to review training courses related to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion. It also adds paid leave for Indigenous employees to engage in traditional practices, such as hunting, fishing, and harvesting.
4. Contracting Out: PSAC negotiated language to protect members from losing their jobs if they can do the work of a contractor already employed by the federal government. This will help keep public service jobs and reduce contracting out.

CRA Employees Continue to Strike

While the strike has ended for 120,000 Treasury Board workers, 30,000 CRA employees are still on strike, fighting for similar improvements in their working conditions. Negotiations for these workers are ongoing, and their return to work remains uncertain.

What Happens Next?

In the coming days, a full explanation of the new agreements and a copy of the new language will be provided for the PA, SV, TC, and EB groups. PSAC members will then be invited to participate in online ratification votes. The PSAC bargaining teams recommend the ratification of the tentative agreement.