CEIU/PSAC Members Rally in Winnipeg for a Fair Contract and Phoenix Compensation
WINNIPEG, MB - Members of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) – a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) – will hold a lunch hour rally in Winnipeg today (Thursday, June 6, 2019) from 12:00 noon to 12:30PM in front of 280 Broadway in Winnipeg. PSAC has declared impasse in negotiations with Treasury Board, which employs over 90,000 members of the PSAC including CEIU members. PSAC members make up the bulk of the federal public service.
“We will not return to the table until the government shows a genuine willingness to deliver the fair deal our members deserve. To date, the government has shown no willingness to negotiate in good faith,” said CEIU National President Eddy Bourque. “Our members deserve better. We are frustrated that we have been left with no choice but to declare impasse and start the process that will lead to strike preparations.
The union is asking for improvements to work-life balance, a reduction of precarious contract work, an end to wage gaps with the private sector, and fair economic increases. The Trudeau government has instead tabled an insulting offer of 1.5 per cent in each year of four years - well below the rate of inflation. Also, the government wants workers to wait for up to 18 months after the new contract is signed to receive retroactive pay. The current retro pay implementation period is 5 months.
Members at the rally will also express their dissatisfaction with the government’s meagre offer in regards to the compensation offered by the government for the Phoenix pay system debacle. A recent report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows that the Phoenix pay system nightmare will continue until 2023, if not longer.
“Offering PSAC members 1.25 days of leave for each of the past four years is not nearly enough given the damage done to their lives and considering there is no end to the problems in sight,” said Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President (PSAC Prairie Region). “PSAC demands the respect our members deserve through a settlement that makes them whole.”
PSAC has also made it clear that we will not accept any offer that would not allow our members to receive the equivalent of their leave as a cash payment.
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For More Information:
Thomas Linner
Regional Communications Officer
Cell: 204-898-7002
Email: linnert@psac.com