By Canadian Press

As federal workers threaten to strike, tonight’s deadline for a deal looms large

Apr 18, 2023 | 10:20 AM

OTTAWA — The clock is ticking for the government and Canada’s largest federal public-service union to reach an agreement by a deadline of 9 p.m. EDT tonight. 

If they don’t, some 155,000 workers are prepared to walk off the job on Wednesday.

Mediated contract negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the government began in early April and continued through the weekend in what the union describes as the government’s last chance to reach a deal. 

Wage increases have been top of mind at the bargaining table, and the union has also pushed for work-from-home options to be written into a new collective agreement.

Negotiations over the new contract first began in June 2021, with the union declaring an impasse in May 2022 and both parties filing labour complaints since then.

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The union called a strike vote in January, and it announced that members had voted in favour of a strike mandate early last week. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023. 

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press