UPDATED: Everything you need to know about the 2023 public service strike — and the deal that was reached (2024)

As of Monday morning, May 1, striking PSAC workers in four bargaining units were back on the job after their union announced overnight that a tentative deal had been reached with Treasury Board for a four-year contract.

The bargaining unit for Canada Revenue Agency workers was still without an agreement as on Monday morning, and still on strike.

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To help you wade through the return to work, what led to this point, and what happens now, we have rounded up questions, answers, links, and news — all in one place.

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This is a constantly updating post. If you have questions we haven’t answered, let us know in the comment section.

Who, exactly, has been affected by the strike?

120,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) employees

35,000 CRA employees

This included employees at the following federal departments:

• Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada
• Canada Revenue Agency
• Canadian Transportation Agency
• Transport Canada
• Canada Border Services Agency
• Veterans Affairs Canada
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada
• Canadian Heritage
• Public Safety Canada
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
• Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
• Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
• Canada School of Public Service
• Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
• Library and Archives Canada
• Prairies Economic Development Canada
• Public Services and Procurement Canada
• Global Affairs Canada
• RCMP
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Public Service Commission of Canada
• Indigenous Services Canada

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What does the tentative agreement look like?

Theunion saysit includes a total compounded wage increase of12.6 per cent over four years, newremote-work language, and protections related to contracting out.

On the wage front, the union says the agreement calls for a raise of 1.5 per cent for 2021; 4.75 per cent for 2022; three per cent plus a wage adjustment for 2023; and 2.25 per cent for 2024.

President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier said in a statement Monday morning that the tentative agreement is “fair, competitive, and reasonable, and bring(s) stability to public servants and Canadians.

The government, which characterized the wage increases only as an 11.5 per cent boost, said the agreement takes workers through to the summer of 2025

Read our full story here:

PSAC, Treasury Board reach tentative deal after weekend of bargaining.

About 35,000 CRA workers were still on the picket lines, however, on Monday. The union said it planned to enter “a blitz of negotiations” with the CRA in an effort to reach agreement for its members. Here’s our story:

Strike continues for more than 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers

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Who are some of the main players?

Mona Fortier, Treasury Board president

Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada

Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees

Alex Silas, PSAC regional executive vice-president for the National Capital Region

Sharon DeSousa, national executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada

Meet Alex Silas, PSAC’s hype man

Alex Silas is rarely spotted in public without a megaphone nowadays.

Standing in front of Parliament Hill, he leads the crowd:

“One — we are the workers; Two — A little bit louder; Three — And we want fairness; Four — each other!”

He calls himself the union rally “hype man” or “cheerleader” — a job that requires travelling to picket lines across Ottawa and leading the striking public servants with chants, cheers and songs.

His other job title is somewhat more longwinded: the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s regional executive vice-president for the National Capital Region.

Originally from Barachois, N.B., about 10 kilometres from the town of Shediac, Silas moved to Ottawa when he was 14.

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Read the rest of Catherine Morrison’s profile here

How many different PSAC groups are involved in bargaining?

Five bargaining teams are involved in negotiations with Treasury Board: the Program and Administrative Services (PA) group; the Operational Services (SV) group; the Technical Services (TC) group; the Education and Library Science (EB) group and the Common Issues group

In addition to the five groups bargaining with the Treasury Board, a separate group representing over 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers is also currently negotiating with the government.

How many people are on these five bargaining teams?

Short answer: a lot.

Long answer, as follows:

Program and Administrative Services (PA) group:
PSAC Staff: Brenda Shillington, negotiator; Elanor Sherlock, research officer; Marianne Hladun, Prairies Regional Executive Vice-President.

Members: Samantha Basha, Sargy Chima, Charito Humphreys, Sherry Hunt, Gilbert Legault, Troy MacDonnell, Frédéric Prigot, Rosemarie Smith-Gimblett

Operational Services (SV) group:
PSAC staff: Mathieu Brûlé, negociator; Darren Pacione, research officer; Colleen Coffey, Atlantic Executive Vice-President.

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Members: Satinder Bains, Serge Desbiens, Jason Elder, Bert Farwell, Marcelo Lazaro, Kristina MacLean and Brent McInnis.

Technical Services (TC) group:
PSAC staff: Negotiator Seth Sazant, Research Officer Silja Freitag and National Executive Vice-President Sharon DeSousa.

Members: Justin Cooke, Richard Dollimount, Scott Hodge, Karen Houlahan, Jimmy Mailhot, Leanne Moss, Sheri Parent, Danielle Poissant, Aaron Swerdlyk

Education and Library Science (EB) group:
PSAC staff: Erin Sirett, negotiator; Christopher Schwartz, research officer; and, Yvon Barrière, Quebec Regional Executive Vice-President.

Members: Frank Decker, Danielle Moffet, Michael Freeman, Marie-Hélène Leclerc, and Alain Desroches.

Common Issues group:

PSAC staff: Brenda Shillington, negotiator; Pierre-Samuel Proulx, research officer; Marianne Hladun, Prairies Regional Executive Vice-President.

Members: Sargy Chima (PA group), Scott Hodge (TC group), Marcelo Lazaro (SV group), Marie-Hélène Leclerc (EB group), Kristina MacLean (SV group), Frédéric Prigot, (PA group), Danielle Poissant (TC group), Rosemay Smith-Gimblett (PA group)

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What are the main issues?

The key hold-ups in negotiations were wages and enshrining teleworking policies into a collective bargaining agreement. PSAC wanted a 13.5 per cent raise over three years (or 4.5 per cent annually) for its 120,000 members.

The Union of Taxation Employees at CRA is demanding an even higher increase: a total of 30 per cent over three years. They want between 4.5 per cent and eight per cent annually, plus a one-time nine per cent increase.

The government initially offered an 8.2 per cent increase over four years last year.

On Sunday April 16, it tabled a wage offer of a nine per cent increase over three years (or 1.5 per cent the first year, 4.5 per cent the second and three per cent the third).

In a press release issued last week, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said it had “done everything it can” to reach a deal and avoid disrupting services Canadians rely on.

The release indicated that the government presented a “fair, competitive offer” to PSAC of a 9 per cent increase over three years and had “responded to all their demands” including proposals on PSAC priorities like telework, shift premiums, improved leave with pay for family-related responsibilities, and measures to support employment equity, diversity and inclusion.

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What does the strike mean for the rest of us?

Marc Brière, national president for the Union of Taxation Employees, said in February that a strike could impact taxpayers’ access to call centres, which are already regularly overloaded during tax season.

PSAC national president Chris Aylward says there is no doubt that a general strike would significantly impact the government’s services to Canadians.

For example, certain Canada Revenue Agencyservices may be delayed or unavailable. Read more: How a Canada Revenue Agency strike could impact the 2023 tax season

At Transport Canada Some services were expected to be fully or partially disrupted, including the issuing of licences, certificates and registrations and the motor vehicle safety 1-800 hotline for defect complaints and recalls.

The federal government initially released a list of programs, services and facilities that could be affected.

Read the full list here: Federal government releases list of programs and services that could be affected by public-service strikes

In short, there were lots of disruption to services expected, but not a complete shutdown because many workers were deemed “essential” and therefore must be around to work.

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What do we know about ‘essential’ public service workers?

An estimated 30,000-46,000 jobs across a broad range of functions were deemed essential following a lengthy, negotiated process. These workers are considered necessary to the safety or security of the public or a segment of the public and will continue to deliver services.

These essential workers can’t participate in a strike and must return to work, nor can strikers impede essential workers’ access to their workplaces.

Will the tax deadline be extended?

No.

Despite the strike, the CRA has stated it currently has no plans to extend the general tax filing deadline, which falls on May 1, 2023. (The normal April 30 deadline falls on a Sunday, so we get an extra day this year.) For taxpayers who have self-employment income or who have a spouse or common-law partner with self-employment income, the general filing deadline is June 15, 2023, but any tax owing is still due by May 1, 2023.

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“Canadians should take steps to ensure their return is filed by May 1, 2023, along with payment for any balance owing,” the agency said.

If you file your tax return late and have a balance owing, you will be charged a late-filing penalty. Filing late can also delay your future benefit and credit payments. The late-filing penalty is five per cent of your 2022 balance owing, plus an additional one per cent for each full month that you file after the due date, to a maximum of 12 months.

Can you still file taxes during the strike?

Yes. The CRA said it is continuing to accept all tax returns during the strike. Tax returns that are filed electronically, which is the majority of returns, will continue to be processed automatically by the system “without delay.” The good news is that if the CRA owes you a refund, the agency will pay you refund interest at a rate of seven per cent, compounded daily, from May 31 (if you file on time), or starting 30 days after filing, if you file late.

If you haven’t started preparing your return, all your tax slips should be available online using theCRA’s Auto-fill my return feature, which remains unaffected during the strike.

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Read more: How the CRA strike will affect your tax returns, refunds, benefits and more

Can I get a passport?

Minister Karina Gould, who oversees passport offices, said that, during the strike, the government would only process applications in the most urgent circ*mstances, such as those who are ill, or people dealing with a death in the family.

“This means that the majority of Canadians will not be able to apply for or renew a passport,” she said.

Even during delays last year, Canadian could get passports for impending travel, but Gould said that alone will no longer be enough if the travel is not deemed important enough by the government’s standards.

Gould said the government receives about 85,000 new applications every week and if the strike is delayed it will mean a new backlog.

What does the strike mean for pension payments?

• Essential services, such as direct deposit, pension payments (socio-economic payments), linguistic services and public notices were to be maintained.
  
• The Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and Social Insurance Numbers are considered essential services but there may be delays in processing and increased wait times in call centres.

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Is Service Canada open?

• During the strike, in-person services at Service Canada Centres were limited to clients requiring assistance with Employment Insurance, Social Insurance Numbers, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement. Offices would remain open, but days and hours of operation might vary.
  

How will the strike impact Canadians applying for EI?

EI is among the essential services that are maintained during a strike, Treasury Board said last week.

About 80 per cent of the agents who handle EI applications have been deemed essential, according to Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU).

But even before the strike, the system had a backlog that was “out of control,” said Crystal Warner, national executive vice-president of CEIU, which represents about 35,670 workers at Employment and Social Development Canada, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada, and the Immigration and Refugee Board.

“While we expect there may be some delays in processing and increased wait times in call centres, Service Canada is working to meet service standards and answer client enquiries and calls in a timely manner.” said Treasury Board.

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Read more: Strike means applicants stuck in EI limbo may be there for longer, say union insiders

Will the PSAC strike stoke inflation?

Maybe, but it’s complicated.

Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist at Alberta Central who previously worked at the Finance Department and the Bank of Canada, characterized the union’s salary request as a “big increase.”

If more people ask for higher wages, that can sustain the inflationary cycle by increasing consumers’ purchasing power, which in turn stimulates demand for more goods and services and therefore puts price pressures on costs, said Alexandre Laurin, director of research at the C.D. Howe Institute, a think-tank.

But PSAC’s influence likely spreads beyond the public sector. The labour market is tight, so private companies might have to match public salaries to keep prospects from going to work for the government. “In an economy like we have now where the labour market is competitive and tight, then (the private sector) would also have to be competitive, because they’re chasing the same workers, and raise their wages,” Laurin said.

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“A deal for the approximately 150,000 workers is something everybody’s going to be watching, but it may not be something that actually influences other types of negotiations because these workers are quite unique and not very large in number,” said Armine Yalnizyan, an economist who studies labour trends at the Atkinson Foundation, a charity.

Read Bianca Bharti’s full story here

How did the strike work?

Old-fashioned picket lines formed an essential part of any PSAC strike, the union said. It means union members were not able to conduct their job action on Zoom.

“Strikes have always depended on their ground game, so this means physical picket lines across the country,” said Michael Aubry, PSAC’s assistant director of communications. “Everyone has to show up to a picket line to be considered as striking. There will be no virtual picketing from home.”

Theunion’s constitutionstipulates that members must spend four hours a day on the picket line to be eligible for strike pay. It says benefits will be reduced for every day a member is “absent without cause.”

Striking public servants, he said, were able to join the picket line closest to their home and were not required to picket outside their regular workplace. Even those public servants who have been approved for full-time telework were expected to join their nearest picket line.

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Read more: Many public servants want to work from home, but they wouldn’t be able to strike from there

Were there picket lines on weekends?

No. Where and when to have physical picket lines was a strategic decision for the union, based on “what would have the most impact in those localities,” Alex Silas, PSAC’s regional executive vice-president, told this newspaper.

Read more: No weekend pickets planned if PSAC strike stretches past Friday

How much is strike pay?

Public servants in the National Capital Region were eligible for $375 a week in strike pay.

The money will be delivered to bank accounts by e-transfer for those who have provided PSAC with their email addresses, while cheques will be distributed to those picketers who have not signed up for online banking.

Where were the picket lines in Ottawa?

There were nine locations in the Ottawa/Gatineau area:

• James Michael Flaherty Building: 90 Elgin, Ottawa ON K1P 5E9
• The Office of the Prime Minister: 80 Wellington, Ottawa ON K1P 5K9
• Parliament Hill – West Block: 3938 Wellington St, Ottawa ON K1A 0A9
• President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier’s office: 233 Montréal Rd, Ottawa ON K1L 5P8
• Tunney’s Pasture: 100 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6
• Canada Post building: 750 Heron (Mooney’s Bay Meadowlands, Ottawa ON K1V 2E4
• MP Marie-France Lalonde’s office: 255 Centrum Blvd, Ottawa ON K1E 3W3
• MP Steven McKinnon’s office at 160 Boul. de l’hôpital
• MP Greg Fergus’s office at 200 Promenade du Portage

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READ MORE: PSAC releases list of picket line locations

What about picket lines at military bases?

Union of National Defence Employees indeed had pickets outside military bases across Canada, including at Petawawa, Kingston, Borden and North Bay. Picket lines were also established at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Que., as well as CFB Esquimalt and CFB Comox on Vancouver Island, CFB Cold Lake, CFB Edmonton and CFB Wainwright in Alberta as well as at Shilo, Man.

As a result, some military bases were running without heating or hot water.

Read more: Union of National Defence Employees pickets outside military bases across Canada

Read more: Heating and hot water on some military bases affected by public service strike

How do Canadians feel about the strike?

Bruce Deachman writes many of those on strike recognized that they’d have to fight their battle without much public support. “People hate us,” one picket said, around the time a passing motorist rolled down his window and shouted “Get back to work, people!”

Perhaps the better question is: Did they need to win over public support to win their fight?

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Read more: ‘People hate us’: Striking public servants know they don’t have the hearts and minds of Canadians

When was the last major public service strike?

There have only been two Canada-wide strikes in recent memory — 1991 and 2004.

Here’s the intro of Joanne Laucius’ feature story, which looks to the history books.

It was the last thing anyone expected. Striking public service workers stormed the barricades on Parliament Hill.

Here’s the scene: It was Sept. 27, 1991. The federal government was embroiled in a public service strike with the workers after Conservative finance minister Michael Wilson effectively froze wages for Canada’s 214,000 public servants in an attempt to save $685 million in the February budget.

The strikers were angry after years of jobs cuts, low wage increases and expanding workloads. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said he wasn’t going to be “bamboozled by a bunch of self-centred, boggy-brained public servants.”

On the day the strikers stormed the barricades, about 2,000 striking Public Service Alliance of Canada members were on Parliament Hill.

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In a move that startled RCMP officers and reporters on the scene, some of the strikers shook a metal barricade until it fell to the ground. The crowd boiled forward and the charge ended at the heavy doors of the House of Commons, which had been slammed shut. There was an early adjournment of the Commons. Mulroney took a freight elevator at the back of the building and out a side door to his limousine.

Read more: What happens if 155,000 federal public service workers go on strike?

How are other unions reacting?

While not in a legal strike position, other unions representing federal public servants – including the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) encouraged their members to support workers in a strike position.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) stated that members can support coworkers who are on strike by “walking the line before they cross the line.”

“You can choose to picket with them on your own time (such as breaks, lunch or before/after work),” states the PAFSO website.

Read more: Public service unions encourage members to support PSAC workers while they’re on strike

— with files from Catherine Morrison, Joanne Laucius, Christopher Nardi, Andrew Duffy, Bianca Bharti, Ryan Tumilty, Jamie Golombek

If you want to support the work of these journalists and more, consider purchasing a digital subscription. https://ottawacitizen.com/subscribe/

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