Following a midnight deadline that came and went, the country’s biggest federal public-sector union is on strike.
Roughly 300 local members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada are affected and were braving the cold, wet conditions on Wednesday, as they walked outside the Indigenous Services Canada building on Marquis Drive.
Those involved include staff at Saskatchewan Penitentiary, Service Canada, RCMP and Indigenous Services Canada.
Dawn Montgrant is the local union president and told paNOW they were really hoping a deal could be reached.
“People are disheartened that we actually have to come out here on the picket line but now that we are here, we know it’s the right thing to do,” she said.
Dozens of striking union members are walking in shifts. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)Major issues for the union include wages, with Montgrant explaining salaries are not lining up with the rising rate of inflation.
“We feel like we are being left behind. Things are costing more but yet our salaries are staying the same,” she said.
During the pandemic, a number of union members were asked to work from home. Montgrant explained with restrictions now lifting, those same members, who have successfully proven they can do all the work from home are now being told to return to the job site.
“We’ve demonstrated we do really good work from home and for our members that are able to do that, it just helps them balance their family life so much better and get involved in community activities,” she said.
(Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)
(Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)Those walking the picket line Wednesday in Prince Albert, were greeted by a number of honks as vehicles passed by.
A second picket line is expected to go up on Thursday outside Sask Pen.
“We do have people in the office that are essential workers so anyone that was deemed essential is still in the office working but the rest of us who are not, are out here on the picket line,” Montgrant said.
Canada-wide, more than 155,000 public servants are affected by the strike. Meanwhile bargaining talks are continuing.
—
nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell
— with files from the Canadian Press
