(OTTAWA) Canada’s largest federal public service union is preparing to step up its ongoing strike by moving pickets to strategic locations, such as ports, on Monday.
Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Chris Aylward says public servants don’t want to disrupt the lives of Canadians, but need to have more influence on the economy to push Ottawa to find a solution.
He says that means going beyond the office buildings where public servants work to include places he thinks will have more impact on government.
Mr. Aylward made the comments in an interview with The Canadian Press on Sunday, the fifth day of one of the biggest strikes in Canada. More than 100,000 union members went out of work on Wednesday after contract talks broke down after months of negotiations.
Aylward said Ottawa presented a set of proposals on Saturday to which the union responded later in the day.
He maintains that the government presented nothing new on Sunday afternoon and that the Federal Treasury Board could not be reached immediately for confirmation.
Both sides blame each other for a breakdown in communications, with each accusing each other of choosing to present facts to the public to make the other appear unreasonable.