Around 150 people were on the picket line in front of the downtown Nanaimo Service Canada office on Wednesday, April 19, part of job action across the country. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

job action

VIDEO: Striking public service workers picket downtown Nanaimo Service Canada branch

Apr 19, 2023 | 9:24 AM

NANAIMO — Around 150 federal public service workers from across Vancouver Island are striking in city’s downtown, joining over 155,000 nationwide demanding a new collective agreement.

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are on the picket lines across the country following over two years of negotiations with the Treasury Board on a new work deal, with the union seeking improved pay in line with inflation and remote work options.

Richard May, vice president of the union for health and environment workers which is part of the Alliance, was among those picketing outside Service Canada on Front St. in Nanaimo on Wednesday, April 19.

“[We’re seeking] enough to be part of our community, enough to feed our kids, that’s what we’re after. Fair wages and the right to have work from home options in our collective agreement so that there’s parity across the board in federal public service.”

He said their last contract expired in 2021 and bargaining to date hasn’t yielded much result.

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“After three years of really no respect at the bargaining table, the request for concessions from the Treasury Board while our members are struggling under the current inflation. We really just want to keep up.”

While the Service Canada branch in Nanaimo is under an essential service agreement and will remain open, delays are expected.

A notice from Service Canada said in-person services during the labour disruption would be limited to people needing help with Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance and issuance of Social Insurance Numbers.

The government is expected passport services, grant programs, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Job Bank will be partially or fully disrupted nationwide.

Alliance president Chris Aylward told members overnight no deal had been reached by a Tuesday, April 18 deadline imposed by the union.

He said they’re keen to keep communication open.

“The members are pumped…they spoke loudly and very clearly and our members are prepared to fight for a good, decent collective agreement. We will remain at the table, we will remain for a long as it takes during the strike and we will remain on strike until the government addresses our key issues.”

The Treasury Board said it offered the union a nine per cent raise over three years on Sunday, April 16 on the recommendation of the third-party Public Interest Commission.

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada are demanding wage increases in line with inflation and remote work options to be part of their next collective bargaining agreemet. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Some 39,000 Canada Revenue Agency employees also went on strike as of Wednesday as part of wider labour action by the Alliance.

CRA said the strike will mean certain services will be delayed or unavailable including the processing of some income tax and benefit returns, particularly those filed by paper.

Their business inquires line was closed Wednesday morning, and the agency said it is prioritizing calls related to benefits payments. It warns of longer wait times for callers.

The agency says that Canadians should use its online services where people can file taxes and apply for child benefits, make payments and other services. It says taxes filed digitally will largely be processed automatically without delay.

While the CRA says its services may be delayed, Canadians are still expected to submit their taxes on time as it says there are no plans to extend filing deadlines.

The deadline for filing taxes from 2022 is Monday, May 1.

According to PSAC, service centres impacted by the strike on Vancouver Island are located in Nanaimo, Duncan and Victoria.

Delays and disruptions to services are expected for both online and in-person operations through Service Canada as a result of job action commencing Wednesday. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

–with files from 97.3 FM The Eagle & The Canadian Press

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