The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) called for Members of Parliament to speak out against the Union of Taxation Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s pay demands, which they say are "out of touch with reality.".“When Canadians are cutting back on groceries because of inflation, MPs absolutely cannot look taxpayers in the eyes and tell them to pay for huge raises in the bureaucracy,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the CTF. “Union negotiators are demanding 30% pay hikes over three years and 14% annually when many Canadians are relying on food banks.”.The UTE, which represents 35,000 employees of the Canada Revenue Agency, is demanding a nearly 30% wage increase over three years. The UTE left the bargaining table on Sept. 1, declaring an impasse in negotiations, then fully withdrew from mediation on Dec. 20. .UTE is threatening strike votes between Jan. 31 and April 7, which is about the time Canadians are counting on their income tax refunds..The union says it withdrew from mediation because the Treasury Board announced a return-to-work order for all employees just a few days before mediation was set to begin. The CRA chose to comply with this order, even though return-to-work was a key bargaining issue..The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat stated the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which the UTE falls under, is also demanding “average increases, including pay and other provisions, of up to 14% annually over three years across their bargaining groups.”.The PSAC says the union may “take our members out on strike.” .According to the federal government's website on collective bargaining, the Treasury Board is the employer for the core public administration, while the CRA is a separate agency that conducts their own negotiations for their respective unionized employees..Government employees receive 9% more than their counterparts working in the private sector. A total of 312,825 federal employees received a pay raise in 2020 or 2021..Meanwhile, a record number of Canadians were forced to use food banks in 2022 due to 40-year high inflation. Food Banks Canada's annual report found there were nearly 1.5 million visits to food banks in March, which was 15% more than the same month last year and 35% more than in 2019. .“Union negotiators need to ask themselves whether it’s right to tell their neighbours to pay for huge raises when everyone’s struggling,” Terrazzano said. “MPs must stand up for their constituents against the government union negotiators.”
