Canada: 155,000 employees threaten to strike

ALBAWABA - More than 155,000 public sector employees in Canada have threatened to strike if no agreement is reached with the government on wages, job security and remote working.

President of the s (PSAC) Chris Aylward said that if no agreement was reached by 21:00 Canada's time (01:00 GMT) Tuesday, "a nationwide general strike will be called at 12:01 am on Wednesday."

Public sectors' employees voted overwhelmingly last week to go ahead with the strike.

This step came after waiting for about two years at the negotiating table, according to Aylward who stressed that "these workers, like all workers, deserve fair wages and decent working conditions."

"Although some progress has been made at the negotiating table, our members are frustrated by the procrastination and failure to achieve their demands," Aylward said.

The employees work for more than 20 departments including Canada Revenue Agency and are reported to be working without contracts since 2021.

Sources suggested that the views of the two sides (PSAC and government) are very divergent regarding wages, job security and remote work.

PSAC is smaller than the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUBE), but the strike of its members is expected to significantly affect the workflow in public service facilities.