Clockwise from top left: PSAC members in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunskwick.

For weeks, PSAC members across the country have been ramping up pressure on the Trudeau government to deliver a fair deal when bargaining resumes later this month. 

The next bargaining session is scheduled for April 30 to May 2. Given the fast approaching federal election in October, this will be the government’s last chance to take the major steps necessary to reach a tentative agreement that addresses the key concerns of PSAC members.

While PSAC has always been committed to working efficiently towards reaching a fair deal, relatively little has been achieved after ten months of bargaining with Treasury Board. The first eight months of bargaining were defined by delays and insulting offers—such as the government’s November proposal to freeze wages for two years—while the last two months have been characterized by very small steps towards progress.

In his 2015 Open Letter to Canada’s Public Servants, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he sees the public service as a “partner” that “must be valued by the government”. While those are nice words, reaching a fair contract before the federal election in October is the only way Trudeau can deliver on that promise to PSAC members.

PSAC members are still waiting to get paid properly under Phoenix, and they’re still waiting, after three years, to be compensated for all the hardships they’ve endured because of countless pay problems. They shouldn’t also have to wait for the fair working conditions they deserve.

Over the coming days and weeks, PSAC members across the country will ramp up pressure on the government even further as they continue to hold Trudeau to this word. Stay tuned for more on how you can take action by signing up for email updates.

(left to right) Actions/meetings at constituency offices of MPs Darren Fisher, Bill Morneau and Jagmeet Singh.