Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is putting the defense of quality public services on the bargaining table in the upcoming round of negotiations with the federal government for over 100,000 federal public sector workers.

“PSAC members are proud of the role they play in the daily lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” said National President John Gordon. “Our negotiations serve a larger purpose as Canadians across the country want more public services and are prepared to pay for them, not further cuts to our public services. The work we do at the bargaining table and in the community is about building a better Canada.”

The union has been holding a national bargaining conference for its five Treasury Board bargaining units and for its bargaining unit at the Parks Canada Agency. PSAC members, who attended regional bargaining conferences in late 2006, have spent the last four days reviewing bargaining priorities established by the 2006 PSAC triennial convention and bargaining demands submitted by PSAC Locals.

They also took time to talk about mobilization strategies geared both to bargaining and the next federal election, acknowledging that an election is likely to be held at some point during this round of bargaining.

“We cannot allow the Harper government to sell off our public services and dismantle this country,” said Gordon. “We have already witnessed cuts that are affecting our ability to respond to environmental crises in our fisheries and forests. We have seen the government slash funding to the Status of Women and to literacy programs, end the Court Challenges, close the Canada Labour and Business Centre and shut down many other programs that promoted the health, human rights and equity of Canadians.”

Gordon is concerned that the upcoming federal budget will bring more cuts and fewer services. “As a result, our priorities must be to promote and enhance public services and to restore pride to federal public sector workers.”

Delegates to the conference also elected members who will serve on the union negotiating teams for the Program and Administrative Services (PA) group, the Operational Services (SV) group, the Technical Services (TC) group, the Education and Library Science (EB) group, the Frontière/Border Services (FB) group and for the Parks Canada unit.

The negotiating team members will be meeting in late February to finalize the package of bargaining demands in preparation for the exchange of demands with the employer. While the first Treasury Board contract does not expire until June 20, PSAC is committed to filing notice to bargain the earliest possible opportunity.

“Bargaining can be a slow process,” says Gordon, “but we intend to do everything we can to be at the bargaining table before these agreements expire.”