Negotiations are reaching a pivotal moment as Treasury Board continued to stall at the bargaining table with the Education and Library Science (EB) and Technical Services bargaining team. The bargaining team was dismayed with the latest round of bargaining, describing the tone from Treasury Board as patronizing and insulting.

EB Group

Negotiations began hitting a wall months ago as the government refused to negotiate any of the EB team’s priorities, putting forward concessions on scheduling and shifts under the guise of “improving flexibility.”

In the latest round, Treasury Board presented a comprehensive proposal that addresses only one of our bargaining proposals and doesn’t provide meaningful improvements to our members’ working conditions.

Treasury Board continues to push their proposals and have the nerve to suggest they know what our members really want.

Treasury Board also refuses to budge on their insulting wage offer at the Common Issues table averaging 1.75% over a four-year contract, which is completely at odds with soaring inflation rates.

Market adjustments

The employer has rejected every single pay proposal PSAC presented in January. PSAC have proposed fair and reasonable market adjustments for our members who are paid less than those doing the same or comparable work in the federal public service. Treasury Board suggests their research doesn’t support these wage adjustments, but they have not shared this research with PSAC or made a counteroffer.

Treasury Board has also been silent about our proposal for an allowance to recognize employees who use Indigenous languages in the workplace. While the federal government has repeated its commitment to reconciliation, it has failed to take concrete action to preserve Indigenous languages and cultures.

TC Group

The government continues to stand by the insulting wage offer they presented at the Common Issues table in March, with economic increases averaging 1.75% per year that fall well below record-high inflation. As the price of food, gas and utilities climbs, the government expects our members to take a pay cut.

If that were not enough, Treasury Board also refused to make any substantial movement on allowances that would close wage gaps for many TC members who are falling even further behind. Some TC members are paid less than people doing similar work in the private sector; others are paid less than workers with comparable jobs in the federal government. This is unacceptable.

See a breakdown of PSAC’s TC wage proposal

The TC bargaining team has proposed several important gains for workers including protections for hours of work, improvements to overtime, and fixing the long-broken classification system through the Occupational Group Structure review. But Treasury Board has completely ignored our proposals.

Our bargaining team is committed to continue pushing for fair wages, a better classification system, and reasonable working conditions for all TC members.