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

OTTAWA, ON, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The government is committed to reaching an agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) that is fair for employees and reasonable for Canadians. The best agreements are reached at the bargaining table. As we move into an important stage of the bargaining process, it is disappointing to see that PSAC has chosen to call a strike vote for employees from the Canada Border Services Agency (Border Services FB group).

There is ample room to reach a fair and reasonable agreement with PSAC for members of the FB group. To assist in this, on April 10 and 22, 2024, the employer and PSAC are attending Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings at the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board. Following these hearings, the PIC, a third-party body that includes a union nominee, will make recommendations to the employer and PSAC to help reach a settlement.

The PIC is a crucial step in the bargaining process that can effectively bring parties together to reach negotiated agreements. Last year, PIC recommendations formed the basis for new agreements for approximately 120,000 public servants.

In the interest of reaching an agreement for their members at the earliest opportunity, we call on PSAC to commit to the collective bargaining process, including the PIC process.

As of April 2024, the Government of Canada has reached agreements with 17 bargaining units covering 80% of represented employees in the core public administration, with an established pattern on pay increases and lump-sum payments. The government's latest offer to PSAC for the FB group is fair and consistent with these agreements.

The government's position is clear. It is committed to reaching an agreement with PSAC as quickly as possible that is fair to FB group employees and reasonable for Canadians.

• The FB group is comprised of approximately 9,000 positions at the Canada Border Services Agency that are primarily involved in the planning, development, delivery, or management of the inspection and control of people and goods entering Canada.

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SOURCE Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat