Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Statement in response to Public Service Alliance of Canada Strike Vote

January 24, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Government is disappointed that the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has chosen to call for strike votes instead of focusing on negotiating collective agreements for their members.

In the process of collective bargaining, strikes are a last resort.

We believe there is lots of room to reach a fair and reasonable agreement for public servants. We call on PSAC to return to the table.

Last week, the first of four Public Interest Commission reports recommended that negotiations resume, noting that if priorities are established and demands moderated, there appear to be many areas of potential compromise. But we need a willing partner negotiating in good faith.

We have already signed an agreement with another bargaining agent that includes wage increases of more than 10% over four years. Such increases align with other comparable public service collective agreements being established elsewhere in Canada. We are confident that similar outcomes can be reached for other employees at the bargaining table. And doing so quickly means that employees will get wage increases faster. 

The government’s position is clear. We are committed to reaching agreements with all bargaining agents that are fair to employees and reasonable for taxpayers.

We call on PSAC to come back to the table and negotiate an agreement in good faith. That’s where the best deals are reached.