Editor’s note: In June 2021, the Government of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) began negotiations on renewed collective agreements. The PSAC nationwide general strike began on April 19.
These are the letters we received about the strike.
The federal strike is not all about the money
Remote work has become a part of everyday life for many workers. Canada’s public service workers have proven they can be as effective working remotely as when they were in the office.
When the pandemic forced the closure of offices, everything changed for all Federal workers. One day I was responding to Canadians working from a contact centre to rearranging my home to accommodate a private office so that I could continue assisting Canadians. Not unlike other private sector workers who found themselves in a similar situation. I must add that we were required to purchase our own office furniture, which I did. Like others working from home, we have not been reimbursed, nor are we asking to be reimbursed for internet or phone costs or any other expenses related to working from home.
Now we are suddenly and for no apparent reason except, perhaps, as a bargaining tool from the Treasury Board, been told that what I have been doing effectively and efficiently from my private office in 撸奶社区must be done from a Government office in Vancouver.
I love my job. I am proud to be a member of the Public Service of Canada.
Kenneth Walton
Squamish
Striking a living
I am concerned about the ongoing strike by federal government workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the reverberations of this action on small communities such as ours. I am a long-time resident of 撸奶社区and someone who considers myself part of the incredibly fortunate “gilded class” of longtime homeowners.
I have been a federal government employee for more than 20 years and lived in 撸奶社区for 16 years. During this time, I have witnessed the population grow from around 15,000 to over 22,000 people. This has been accompanied by an obvious demographic shift. Many young, talented, ambitious people have left, pushed out by the exorbitant cost of living. They take with them their dream of buying a house and contributing to our amazing outdoor lifestyle, and move to places with cheaper housing but far fewer recreational opportunities. In their wake, we have witnessed an influx of people with new motivations and goals. Instead of living to recreate, my new neighbours live to pay their giant mortgages, and hope to squeeze out a bit of outdoor adventure in their limited spare time.
These neighbours are not government workers, because the only people who can afford to live here on a government salary are the ones who have been here for a very long time, or are renting in shared accommodations. So what does that portend for the future?
The PSAC strike is about more than just government salaries. The federal government sets the benchmark for private employers too. If government employees cannot afford to live in the communities they serve, many private workers face the same reality.
I have commuted to Vancouver for 16 years. Being in the latter stage of my career, I now spend the majority of my time managing and hiring staff. Having been in the housing market for more than 20 years, I am reaping the benefits born of luck and age rather than blood and sweat. I came into the housing market at a time of extreme affordability, purchasing my first townhome for $142,000 in 2000, when I was fresh on to the labour market. At that time, the home cost me about 3.5x my annual salary. Today, I hire people the same age I was 24 years ago, fresh out of university and eager to grab the world by the tail. Are they using their new government salary to purchase a home and forge a future? Not even close. The starting salary I can offer them is around $60,000, for a position that requires a university degree. That first home I bought would currently be worth around one million dollars, or roughly 17x their annual government wage. My purchase price is now their down payment.
The outcome in the labour market is a slow-moving tragedy. Every year, I hire talented, young staff. And every year, they gain valuable training, quit and move somewhere more affordable, taking their newfound knowledge and experience with them. Not only are they fleeing exorbitant costs of living, but usually long commutes as well. In addition to fair wages, one non-monetary incentive intrinsic to retain staff is to allow remote work on an extensive basis. The expectation of workers to commute long distances, whether it’s from the Sea To Sky or other parts of the lower mainland, is expensive, sometimes dangerous, environmentally unsustainable and puts me at a disadvantage compared to competitor employers in the private sector. Allowing remote work not only benefits workers by reducing the financial and environmental costs of commuting, but also benefits the government by increasing employee retention and reducing the costs of office space.
I urge the federal government to come to the negotiating table with a fair offer that includes a living wage and flexible environment for its employees. We need to ensure that the people who provide important services to our community have the ability to build a stable future for themselves and their families in these same communities.
Ross Dolan
Squamish
A raise is needed
All workers deserve fair wages that keep up with record-breaking inflation now more than ever!
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada program administration group have not received a pay raise since June 2020, which is coming up on three years. Along with all workers, they are feeling the squeeze as everything, including groceries, rent, gas and interest rates, have gone up significantly during this time.
The employer’s current wage offer is at 2.06%.
This is not enough to make ends meet, especially for those of us that live in some of the most expensive areas in the country, like 撸奶社区and the North Shore.
Public Servants are saying, “enough is enough” and need the Treasury Board to come to the table with a wage offer that will help them keep up with the rising costs of living.
They are standing up for all Canadians, unionized or not, when they say we all need wages that keep up with inflation.
Please show your support by giving a wave, a honk, a smile and giving them a like or positive comment on social media.
Let’s make sure that no workers get left behind!
Jessica Gray
Brackendale
We deserve fair working conditions
Canada’s largest public service union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), began strike action on Tuesday as a last resort in response to the failure of more than 2 years of negotiations to reach a fair contract for its workers.
The issues on the table include wage increases, hybrid and remote work options, and mandatory anti-racism and harassment training to help build a more inclusive public service. Each of these issues is vital to a healthy work environment for federal workers.
With current average wages of $68,000 in the largest bargaining group, public servants are feeling the impact of rising costs of living at the grocery store and gas pump along with everyone else. The proposed annual wage increase of 4.5% works out to $12 per day for these workers.
Canadians join the federal public service because we care, and we deserve fair working conditions along with every other Canadian. Union members want to see a swift resolution to the strike to end as much as anyone so that we can get back to providing the services that are so important to the social fabric of our country.
Lauren Bains
Squamish
