Striking Public Service Alliance of Canada members are walking the picket line today outside of the Canada Border Service Agency office in Windsor.
Around 300 PSAC members are taking part in the picket line outside the office at 2500 Ouellette Avenue near Eugenie Street on Day 6 of the labour dispute with the federal government.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada says more than 100,000 of its staff remain on strike, some of whom will move their picket lines today to strategic locations more likely to have an impact on the federal government.
Remote work and wages are the key issues in negotiations. PSAC has asked for a 4.5 per cent raise in each year of a new three-year contract, while Treasury Board has offered a nine per cent raise over three years.
Barry Lamont, President of PSAC Local 576, says spirits remain high but no one wants to be on strike.
"Of course there is lots of frustration and I'm sure the public is very concerned, same as us, we want to see a resolution. It was very concerning what was going on during the weekend, we expect our employer to be at the table, negotiating in good faith," he says.
National President Chris Aylward says Ottawa presented an offer Saturday afternoon, which the union countered with its own proposal that same day.
Yet the office of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says it made a second proposal Saturday that the union had not responded to by late Sunday.
Earlier this weekend, the two sides accused each other of poor communication as bargaining teams sort out how much to increase wages to account for inflation and whether civil servants have a right to work remotely.
Lamont says they want the managers and directors inside the building to see what's going on and report it up to the federal government.
"We want to show the public that we're concerned with what's going on at the bargaining table, we're just looking for their support," he says.
Lamont says the number one issue for all Canadians is wages.
"Inflation is doing enormous damage to everyone whether it's your rent, your food, your mortgage, paying your bills. We're in the same position, our members are struggling with all Canadians and we got to the point where we can't take it anymore, we have to push back," he adds.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is Canada's largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers across Canada.