150,000 Canada Govt employees on strike; read why
As a result of failed discussions with a public sector union, Canada will have to undergo one of the greatest strikes by government employees beginning on Wednesday.
The conversation between the Treasury Board of Canada, which employs government employees, as well as the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) ended without a conclusion at 9 p.m. PSAC declared that 155,000 govt workers would go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.
“We truly hoped we wouldn’t have to go on strike, but we’ve exhausted every other option to reach a fair contract for Canada’s Federal Public Service workers,” PSAC national president Chris Aylward stated.
Among the services that would be disrupted is immigration, which will affect applicants such as prospective international students seeking study visas, temporary work credentials, and permanent residency. Indian nationals make up the largest country cohort for these categories.
The PSAC said in a statement on Tuesday evening that “with nearly a 3rd of the complete federal public service workers on strike, Canadians can anticipate seeing slowdowns or a complete shutdown of services across the nation beginning tomorrow, such as a complete halt of the tax season; disruptions to applications for employment insurance, immigration, and passports; interruptions to supply chains as well as international trade at ports; as well as slowdowns at the border with administrative staff.”
The union is requesting, among other things, a rise of 13.5% over three years, retroactive to 2021. The government responded with a percentage spread during that period of 9%.
Negotiations are anticipated to go on even after the strike starts because, in the words of Aylward, “We’re ready to reach a decent deal as soon as the govt is ready to arrive to the table with a fair offer.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had voiced optimism earlier on Tuesday that a strike might be avoided.
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