OTTAWA - Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday urged striking public sector workers to accept what she called a “very fair” government proposal, even as the workers’ union warned it would ramp up pressure to get its demands met.represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, entered a sixth day on Monday, affecting a wide range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals.
Though the key dispute is over wages, the union has flagged other issues including the right to work remotely and the role of seniority with regard to layoffs. “I would urge union representatives to roll up their sleeves, let’s resolve this with the very fair terms that the federal government has put forward,” she said.
Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5 per cent over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5 per cent pay rise over three years. Inflation peaked at 8.1 per cent last year but has since come down to about half of that.