The president of Canada’s largest public service union has expressed hope for a resolution in the ongoing strike of over 155,000 federal employees. Chris Aylward, the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene, stating, “We still believe that the prime minister, at this point, should be weighing in, because we know that the strike is having an impact on the economy.” Aylward previously requested Trudeau’s involvement on Saturday but had not received a response from the federal government for two days.
In response to PSAC’s calls for engagement, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier claimed on Twitter that the federal government attempted to present a counter-proposal on Saturday, but the union held a press conference instead.
Aylward disputed this account, asserting that they had not heard back from the government by Saturday morning, prompting the decision to hold a press conference.
The Treasury Board has offered a nine percent pay increase over three years for affected employees. However, PSAC is pushing for a 13.5 percent raise over the same period, along with remote work protections. Despite ongoing negotiations and disagreements, Aylward maintains that morale remains high among union members, with over 100,000 members participating in picket lines last week.
