As the deadline for taxpayers to file their tax returns approaches, some 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) public servants will soon be called upon to take part in strike votes.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) will vote from January 31 until April 7, after wage and telework. CRA officials have not had a contract for over a year.
PSAC National President Chris Aylward says wages for union members are stagnating while the cost of living continues to rise. The union is demanding wages that keep pace with inflation and a better telecommuting policy.
Mr. Aylward says the agency is refusing to meet union wage demands and is instead demanding major concessions.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada advises that while strike votes are being held, its representatives and those of the Agency will appear at the Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings on January 27 and February 20. The PIC is to make non-binding recommendations to help the parties reach an agreement and report back in the spring.
The Alliance points out that after the publication of this report, the union members will be in a legal strike position, if they grant this mandate.
Union of Taxation Employees Marc Brière says that during the COVID-19 health crisis, union members processed nearly 30 million applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), but that the Revenue Agency showed no respect for the public servants at the bargaining table.
In his opinion, a solid strike mandate is the best way to increase the pressure to obtain a good contract of employment for its members.
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