THUNDER BAY — Most of the striking federal workers are back to work after a tentative deal that a local union official says presents mixed feelings.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada reached a tentative agreement for the 120,000 Treasury Board workers on Sunday, ending their nearly two-week national strike.
The agreement covers the four Treasury Board of Canada negotiating tables, while those negotiating with the Canada Revenue Agency remain on strike.
“We didn’t get exactly what we were out for, but we got a tentative agreement that is quite a bit better than what was initially proposed before the strike,” said Aaron Swerdlyk, president of Local 30 for the Public Service Alliance of Canada, on Monday. “It’s definitely far from what we were hoping for, so there’s definitely mixed emotions.”
The tentative agreement would give workers a compounded wage increase of 12.6 per cent over the course of the four-year deal.
“People were passionate and happy to be on the line because they see how important this is to get a fair deal. We’ve seen inflation go up much higher than our raises year after year, especially in the time of six, seven per cent inflation, so people have just had enough,” Swerdlyk said.
Swerdlyk said another issue involved telework and remote work arrangements. While it wasn’t included in the collective bargaining agreement, the two sides did agree to a memorandum of understanding that provides guidance on working from home procedures.
While not all workers are able to have the option, it’s proven to be valuable for many who do, he added.
“We think this is a benefit not only to the workers but to taxpayers. The more people that work remotely, the less the government spends on buildings and infrastructure,” he said. “It’s actually a win-win. We were actually surprised at the opposition to strong working from home wording. It’s not exactly what we wanted but it’s better than what we had before.”
Swerdlyk said he’s waiting for more details about the ratification process.
