Media Advisory: Federal workers in Victoria rally, call on Treasury Board to provide fair wage offer at the bargaining table

VICTORIA, BC, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - On November 2, federal government workers are rallying to increase the pressure for government action at the bargaining table.

• Date: Wednesday November 2, 2022
• Time: Rally starting at 12:30PM
• Location: 1230 Government Street, Victoria

Speakers include:

• Chris Aylward, national president, Public Service Alliance of Canada
• Shimen Fayad, national president, Union of Health & Environment Workers
• Sussanne Skidmore, secretary-treasurer, BC Federation of Labour
• Jamey Mills, regional executive vice-president, Public Service Alliance of Canada

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada working in Victoria are coming together to let the government know that they are prepared to take escalating actions, up to and including a strike, in order to get a fair collective agreement.

"PSAC members expect Treasury Board to come to the table with a fair contract that will protect workers' buying power and protect them from inflation," says Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. "But the government's latest wage offer – an average of 2.06%/year over four years – still falls well short of inflation and shows the government still has no real mandate to negotiate a reasonable contract with our members."

Treasury Board has also refused to meaningfully discuss any of the other key issues that matter most to PSAC members, including contracting out and job security, equity in the workplace, and work-life balance.

PSAC declared impasse in Treasury Board negotiations in May and are currently moving through a process that includes a series of Public Interest Commission hearings followed by a non-binding report.

More than 120,000 PSAC members working at Treasury Board are currently in negotiations with the federal government, with approximately 4,000 in the Victoria area.

SOURCE Public Service Alliance of Canada - BC Region

or to schedule an interview: Patrick Bragg, PSAC Communications: [phone] or [email protected]