Picket lines are up at numerous federal sites in Newfoundland and Labrador as about 155,000 civil servants across the country have gone on strike.
That means delays in many federal services such as tax returns, passports, immigration, border crossings and possibly pension payments.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada also picked outside MP Seamus O’Regan’s constituency office on Topsail Road.
Some of the signage here on the picket line outside MP Seamus O’Regan’s office. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/SQZUthyM3j
— Sara Strickland (@_SaraStrickland) April 19, 2023
Outstanding issues include wages and more flexibility on the part of the employer regarding work-from-home options.
Chris Di Liberatore, the Atlantic Regional Vice President for PSAC, says they’re not asking to stay home all the time—they just want to have the option spelled out in the contract.
For example, he says at the Revenue Canada Agency call centre, they have 1,800 employees but only 400 desks, which means they don’t have the facilities.
Talks Ongoing
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says mediated talks continue.
She says both sides were back at the table this morning even as union members hit the picket lines. “That is the same case as we speak” Fortier told reporters this afternoon.
She wouldn’t say how long she expects the strike to last and remains hopeful that a deal can be reached “as soon as possible.”
