Federal government shifts tactic in strike talks, describes unresolved issues in open letter

The federal governmentoutlined its position on four key areas in its ongoingnegotiations with thePublic Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in an open letter addressed to Canadians, marking a shift in its bargaining strategy.

Wage increases, control over telework arrangements, a ban on contracting out work and priority forsenior staff in the event of downsizingare the four "key" demands remaining, Treasury Board president Mona Fortier wrote.

"This round of negotiating has been a heavy lift for both parties," she said in the letter.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the government department that is nominally the employer of bureaucrats, updated or reiterated details on its bargaining position in each of the four areas in the letter.

On CBC's Power and Politics Monday, PSAC president Chris Aylwardconfirmed theaccuracy of the information in theletter and said hetakes it as a "good signal."

"I actually applaud the minister for putting this letter out," he said. "It's the first time that[Fortier's]actually put our priority issues on the table."

Key demands

In the letter, the Treasury Board reiterated its offer of a 9 per cent wage increase over three years, a total the board sayswould provide the average employee an extra $6,250 andaligns with the recommendations of the third-party Public Interest Commission.

The government also agreed to a signing bonus for every member, according to the letter, but thevalue ofthe bonus was not stated.

WATCH |Federal government draws red line on telework in negotiations with PSAC:

Federal government draws red line on telework in negotiations with PSAC

1 year ago

Duration 7:07

On the issue of telework in negotiations with PSAC, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says it's the right of management to continue to evaluate how to best deliver services, and will not be part of a collective agreement.

PSAC was previouslyasking for a 4.5 per cent wage increase each year for 2021, 2022 and 2023. But Aylward said Monday the union has moved down from that 13.5 per cent overallincrease. Aylward didnot clarifythe new demand.

On telework, the TreasuryBoard said in the open letterit proposed to jointly review the existing telework directive with the union.

Speaking on CBC's Power and Politics Monday, Fortierrepeatedthe government's stance that decisions around telework are theright ofmanagement.

"Itis a red line," Fortier said. "We have found creative ways to, of course,engage with employees and I believe that,because it's so important that we have the flexibility for managers to see how we are going to best deliver services."

Aylwardnonetheless said he isconfident an agreement on telework could be reached.

"We're not trying to negate managerial rights here," he said.

WATCH |We still don't have a deal with feds on core issues, PSAC president says:

PSAC president says feds haven't addressed 'priority issues' yet

1 year ago

Duration 10:18

Chris Aylward, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says key issues still need to be addressed before a deal is reached with the federal government.

Fortier wrote in the letter that the Treasury Boardintends to reduce the practice of contracting out work, but saidreducing the practice to zero would "severely compromise" the government'sability to deliver services.

Aylward said the union is not calling for an absolute ban but does want the practice to be reduced, saying workis more cost-effective and transparent when jobs are completedwithin thepublic service.

The government alsoproposed that the Public Service Commission, a government agency that helps develop hiring policies for the federal public service, prioritize merit over seniority in the event of future downsizing.

Most of 570 demands have been met

When negotiations began, PSAC came to the table with about 570 demands, according to the Treasury Board.

Aylward confirmed that number Monday and said most of those demands had been addressed. He said the four issues outlined in the open letter are the main sticking points that stand in the way of a deal.

Thenational strikefor more than 155,000 federal public servants underPSAC began on April 19 at 12:01 a.m. and has entered its second workweek.

Two groups covered by the union remain on strike: oneincludes approximately 120,000 employees who fall under the Treasury Board, making up several government departments and agencies, and the other is a smaller tax group of more than 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Picket lines have gone upacross the countrywhile some government services including taxes, passports and immigration are disrupted.