The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union, representing the federal public employees currently on strike, said the strike would continue.. PSAC picket line .PSAC blamed the government for “incompetence” and “delays” during the negotiation process..On Saturday afternoon, Treasury Board (TB) President Mona Fortier countered by accusing PSAC leadership of being “inflexible” during negotiations and causing their own delays..The TB called on the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to “bargain in good faith.”.“We are not here to play games. We are here to get a deal. Our employees and the public they serve expect both parties to work hard at the bargaining table. There is no time nor tolerance for stalling and misinformation,” said the government statement..The exchange on Saturday signified an escalation in rhetoric during the fourth day of a nationwide strike involving over 155,000 federal public employees who belong to PSAC.. PSAC Strike 2Writer Lynne Cohen argues that one of the costs of settling the recent PSAC-led strike of government workers was a Liberal promise to ban replacement workers in any strike involving federally regulated industries, a category that includes airlines and most types of transportation. .Since the strike started at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, picket lines have formed throughout the country, causing disruptions to government services, such as income tax, passports, and immigration..On Saturday, PSAC National President Chris Aylward told journalists that PSAC had submitted a comprehensive proposal to the TB..Aylward said the TB had replied on Friday, stating it would respond concerning a single issue related to seniority and layoffs..Aylward said the slow response from the government made them accountable for the delays in the negotiation process..“This screams of the incompetence of Mona Fortier as the president of the Treasury Board and her team,” said Aylward..“I've been involved in this union a long time. I've never seen a round of bargaining like this — the disrespect at the table from Treasury Board and from this government.”.Aylward claimed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had not contributed anything to the negotiations and called for his direct involvement..Fortier's office issued a statement saying that they had tried to discuss the PSAC proposal on Friday, but the union was unreachable..The government planned to present a new proposal early Saturday afternoon, but PSAC cancelled after the meeting was set up..“While our negotiators and our offer waited, Mr. Aylward chose instead to go on television to complain he had not received it,” said Fortier's office statement..The government said negotiations restarted following PSAC's press conference..Sharon DeSousa, national executive vice president of PSAC, confirmed that the strike would continue over the weekend for federal employees who typically have work scheduled during that time..“They will do whatever they need to do to get a fair contract,” said DeSousa..Two PSAC groups are participating in the strike. A large TB group consisting of over 120,000 employees from various government departments and agencies, and a smaller tax group with more than 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency..Approximately 110,000 to 120,000 PSAC members could walk off the job, with other PSAC workers considered essential services remaining on the job.
