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120,000 federal public servants vote for strike action

AM800-news-PSAC
AM800-news-PSAC
The vote puts Public Service Alliance of Canada members a step closer to what could be one of the largest strikes in Canadian history.

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada have voted in favour of a strike mandate.

The 120,000 PSAC members can now launch a strike anytime in the next 60-days, but the union has not signalled when that move might come.

National president, Chris Aylward, said at a news conference Wednesday that bargaining for fair wages is top of mind and members are prepared to strike for as long as it takes.

Wages are the main issue of contention between the government and the union, with PSAC asking for a 13.5 per cent raise over three-years and Treasury Board offering 8.25 per cent over four-years, according to CTV Ottawa.

The 120,000 employees affected by the strike votes are part of four different bargaining groups within PSAC. 

They comprise a wide range of jobs across the country and include administrative employees at the Canada Border Services Agency which could mean back-ups at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge in the event of job action. 

Aylward said if a strike happens, Canadians would see service disruptions including delays with employment insurance and immigration applications. There would also be delays at borders and airports and grain exports would be halted, he said

"When the federal government, Canada's largest employer by far, suppresses wages for its workers, what they're really doing is pushing down wages for all workers across all sectors," Aylward said.

A report by an impartial Public Interest Commission recommended a nine per cent raise over three years, but Aylward said that wasn't sufficient.

The alliance called a strike vote in January following an impasse in negotiations with the federal government, and members had until Tuesday to cast their votes.

The union and the government began mediated negotiations in early April and both parties are back at the bargaining table this week, but Aylward said the talks have not been going well.

The announcement of the vote result comes after workers at the Canada Revenue Agency voted for their own strike mandate last Friday.

 

--with files from CTV

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