Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of taking strike action, according to a statement released Friday from the Union of Taxation Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“Our members have sent a strong message to CRA,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, in a statement. “Workers can’t wait, and we’re ready to show this government we won’t let workers fall behind.”
The nearly 35,000 workers represented by the unions have been without a contract for more than a year, according to the statement, and the government has yet to respond to the unions’ wage proposals.
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A final round of negotiations is set for April 17-20 between PSAC and CRA, with members at CRA in a legal strike position as of April 14.
“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC, said in a statement.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait.”
Brière said going on strike isn’t a first choice.
“Tax season is here,” he added in the statement. “But securing a strong strike mandate now gives us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement our members deserve, that’s what we’re prepared to do.”
PSAC is Canada’s largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers.
The strike votes began on Jan. 31 and ended Friday, and came after negotiations over wages and remote work broke down.
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