OTTAWA — The country’s largest civil-service union isn’t waiting for the prime minister to give marching orders to his new cabinet, offering up its own suggestions instead of government priorities in the coming months.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is set to release an open “mandate letter” to Justin Trudeau and his new Treasury Board president Thursday, laying out the top issues it believes the government should focus on going into the new session of Parliament.
In the letter, obtained by The Canadian Press and accompanied by newspaper, radio and digital ads, the union calls on the government to negotiate “fair” new contracts for its members.
It also wants a better compensation package for civil servants who have been underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all through the government’s failed Phoenix pay system.
Trudeau named Jean-Yves Duclos as Treasury Board president Wednesday, the fourth person to hold the position in less than a year.
PSAC has been pushing for new contracts for more than 140,000 of its members, along with compensation for the more than 250,000 government employees impacted by Phoenix, after declaring settlements reached by other unions inadequate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2019.
The Canadian Press
