Picket lines went up Wednesday at the federal Oxford Building on Victoria Street as about 300 Prince George workers from the Public Service Alliance Canada joined forces in a nationwide general strike that resulted in one-third of Canada’s federal workforce walking off the job.
One of the largest strikes in Canadian history and the first general strike since 1991 involving federal workers has disrupted tax services, passport applications, immigration processing and is resulting in slowdowns at airports and border crossings. It could also result in supply-chain issues.
Such essential services as employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and social insurance numbers will not be affected by the strike. Clients were being served Wednesday at the Service Canada office on Fourth Avenue.
Before the strike action, a passport office was expected to open in Prince George next Tuesday. But Jamey Mills, the regional executive vice-president for CPAC-BC, said if the strike continues into next week, that opening will likely be delayed.
The strike involves 120,000 Canada Treasury Board employees who work for government departments and agencies, Crown corporations, universities, casinos, community service agencies, agricultural offices, Indigenous communities, heritage research offices, airports and security sectors. As many as 28 federal departments will be impacted, including Transport Canada, Veterans Affairs, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
The Treasury Board workers are asking for wage increases of 13.5 per cent over three years, as well as provisions to allow them to work from home. The federal government has offered a nine per cent pay hike over three years.
Also involved in the dispute are 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers represented by the Union of Taxation Employees, which is asking for 20.5 per cent pay increase over three years, and a one-time nine per cent raise to bring CRA wages in line with wages paid to Canada Border Services Agency workers.
The government has not yet made a wage increase offer to the tax workers union.
The strike is causing anxiety among the business community and individual taxpayers, with the tax filing deadline approaching on April 30.
The strike also involves RCMP services such as administrative support, media relations, and could disrupt public access to RCMP buildings. Regular police services will not be affected.
- with files from Canadian Press
