PSAC president lashes out at Treasury Board, calls on PM to move negotiations along to end strike

The national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada says there is still no deal between the union representing 155,000 striking public servants and the federal government and he wants the prime minister to get involved.

Chris Aylward said that the union gave the Treasury Board a “comprehensive package” on Thursday but by Saturday afternoon, he had not received a reply.

“We still not have heard back yet from Treasury Board on a package that we give them Thursday night, and this is Saturday afternoon. This screams of the incompetence of Mona Fortier as the president of Treasury Board and her team,” he said.

Aylward told reporters that the Treasury Board had promised a reply on one of their key issues, that of seniority with regard to layoffs, but that response has yet to arrive. That issue stands with wages and remote work as the key sticking points between the two sides, he said.

“Unless we get through those issues, we’re not going to get a deal,” he said.

Aylward called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get involved.

“This this is a complete demonstration of the incompetence of this minister in this position to allow these negotiations to drag out this long,” he said. “I need to see the prime minister getting involved in these negotiations and helping and assisting to move these negotiations along.”

Saturday marks day four of a nationwide strike by Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency workers. Workers are not picketing this weekend but the union remains on strike. Aylward said employees who are scheduled to work on weekends were on picket lines, but a spokesperson for the union said he misspoke and confirmed no picket lines were set up. Pickets will resume Monday if no deal is reached.

Contract talks continued this weekend between PSAC and the federal goverment.

When asked about funds—the union is paying more than 100,000 striking workers $75 per day in strike pay—Aylward said he was not worried.

“I have no concerns about that. We have access to funds. I am not concerned about funds. That’s not an issue,” he said.

Fortier said Friday she’s confident a deal will be reached as contract talks were set to continue. The union earlier said progress had been made this week.

PSAC, Canada’s largest public sector union, began a nationwide strike Wednesday after an agreement with the Treasury Board could not be reached with the federal government by Tuesday night.