Federal workers’ strike could start Wednesday; Nunavummiut warned to expect delays
Expect delays processing financial aid, other services, says Public Service Alliance of Canada spokesperson
A spokesperson for the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s northern branch said Nunavummiut should prepare for delays in accessing government services should a federal service employees strike be called. Nunavut is home to approximately 150 PSAC members, including some who work in Iqaluit’s Qimugjuk building, pictured here. (Photo by Meral Jamal)
Updated Monday, April 17 at 10:15 a.m.
More than 150,000 federal public service employees will go on strike Wednesday if a new deal with the government is not reached by Tuesday at 9 p.m.
“Workers in this country deserve a fair and decent wage increase, whether they’re unionized, non-unionized, public sector or private sector,” Public Service Alliance of Canada president Chris Aylward said during a news conference in Ottawa Monday morning.
The union is seeking a 13.5 per cent increase over three years for its members who work in the federal public service.
That would keep wages up with the estimated inflation rate of 13.8 per cent over the same period, Aylward said.
“We didn’t cause inflation, we shouldn’t have to pay for it,” Aylward said.
Nunavummiut should prepare for potential delays when accessing government services should the strike happen.
Nunavut has approximately 150 federal service employees who are members of the Public Service Alliance, said Lorraine Rousseau, regional executive vice-president of PSAC-North.
Should a strike be called, the federal government departments affected in Nunavut would include Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, CanNor, Fisheries and Oceans, the Coast Guard, RCMP, Natural Resources, Environment Services Canada, the Department of Employment and Social Development and the Office of the Director of Crown Prosecution, Rousseau said.
Services like federal financial aid programs, emergency business loans, passport applications and immigration documents and employment insurance would also be affected.
“Our purpose is not to have undue hardship for citizens who rely on those services,” Rousseau said.
“The processing will continue. However, it just will not be as quickly as we would hope.”
Rousseau used an assistance cheque as an example. She estimated a cheque like this that normally takes five days to process could take more than 10 days. That’s because there are just going to be fewer people working on it.
“It’s a matter of numbers,” she said.
The federal public servants’ strike mandate follows nationwide strike votes that took place from Feb. 22 to April 11.
If the union strikes, this job action could be the largest against any single employer in Canada’s history.
While Nunavik is represented by the Quebec branch of PSAC, Rousseau said the region shares overlapping issues with the northern territories.
“We are aware of the struggle of living in the North in general. Specifically on the eastern side of Canada, when we do have isolated northern communities, things are slow to come by as it is,” she said.
“We’ve been trying to bargain and negotiate and are not asking for ridiculous amounts. We know that the inflation rate has been at least at seven per cent as recorded at the end of 2022.”
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said that she thinks Nunavummiut may not see much of a change in access compared to the rest of Canada.
“Nunavummiut already struggle to access CRA services because much of the services provided to them is not available in Inuktitut,” she said.
“So I think that it might not be as much of a huge dent as for English and French speaking people who access services.”
Note: This story was updated to include new information from the press conference held by the union’s national president Monday morning.
While PSAC was doing a live cast, the PM decided to one as well. Just goes to show us that he doesn’t care at all for GOC employees. Each to his own! Dog eat dog world! The announcment from the PM was not even that important, it could have waited but no he had to be the bully and take over! GO PSAC GO! Hope they go on strike!!!
If the PSAC executive thinks going off the job at tax refund time is going to curry any favors, they are wrong.
The little support these hoodlums have will disappear.
““We didn’t cause inflation, we shouldn’t have to pay for it,” [Public Service Alliance of Canada president Chris] Aylward said.
In fact, PSAC and its members are a major contributor to the demise in our Canadian society, including highly fluctuating interest rates and high inflation. Members are generally unproductive, and are strong supporters of the federal Liberal and ND parties.
Innovators and small-business owners are NOT the cause of the decline in Canadian society – yet they bear the brunt of PSAC’s mistakes and attitude.
Every part of your comment was factually incorrect.
‘S’ makes a lot of things up.
S=Q (anon)
All these federal services I access in the north will no longer be in reach and I may have to resort to mailing everything to Otta…oh wait!
A union work force is the cause of of the demise of Canadian society.
I strongly disagree with that statement. With out the unions. Many of the benefits that Canadians have today. Were fought for and won by unions. And there members. With out workers standing up to employers and Governments. To demand fair wages, benefits, and fair working conditions. There would be no pension plans, EI and workers comp, and a 8 hour day. The list is long what people fought for. They were beaten by union braking thugs. Starved out by employers black listed for just trying to form a union.
Read some history. If you are looking for Tyrants that cause inflation, destroy the environment, poison the air.Look toward big banks and multinational companies. That manipulate and control the world economies for greed and power.
Not a worker who you thing i`s lazy or over paid.
The population is quick to forget than not even 100 years ago many Canadians, including the “southerns” lived in squalor and worked for peanuts. I encourage some basic research into Davis Day and how things used to be for normal working people. The rights and privileges earned have been taken for granted and came not through the goodness of the employers heart or trickle down capitalism but by strong unions and an engaged membership
Does anyone know how the federal employees in federal housing pay rent while on strike? Asking for a friend.
If 14.5% raise is good for them I think everybody in the Canada should get 14.5% raise over the next three years.