Story by Eric Stober • Yesterday
The Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers have voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of taking strike action, according to a statement released Friday from the Union of Taxation Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“Our members have sent a strong message to CRA,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, in a statement. “Workers can’t wait, and we’re ready to show this government we won’t let workers fall behind.”
The nearly 35,000 workers represented by the unions have been without a contract for more than a year, according to the statement, and the government has yet to respond to the unions' wage proposals.
A final round of negotiations is set for April 17-20 between PSAC and CRA, with members at CRA in a legal strike position as of April 14.
“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC, said in a statement.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait."
Brière said going on strike isn't a first choice.
“Tax season is here,” he added in the statement. “But securing a strong strike mandate now gives us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement our members deserve, that’s what we’re prepared to do."
PSAC is Canada's largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers.
The strike votes began on Jan. 31 and ended Friday, and came after negotiations over wages and remote work broke down.
CRA ‘confident’ a compromise is possible as tax season strike fears grow
Story by Saba Aziz • 8h ago
As the deadline for filing taxes approaches, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it will be transparent about any impact to its services if workers go on strike -- potentially as soon as this week.
At the same time, the agency says it is "confident" a compromise can be reached.
“The CRA is committed to being transparent with Canadians about impacts to services, should they happen,” the agency said in a statement released Friday.
The deadline for filing income tax and benefit returns for 2022 is April 30, but since that's a Sunday CRA says Canadians can still file on May 1.
An ongoing labour dispute over contracts and wages resulted in CRA workers voting Friday in favour of strike action.
The CRA said it will resume negotiations later this month with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Taxation Employees to try to reach a new collective agreement that is both fair to workers and reasonable for taxpayers.
A final round of negotiations is set to take place April 17-20, with CRA workers in a legal strike position starting April 14.
“We are confident that the parties will find many areas of potential compromise and trade-off, through honest discussions and concessions by both sides, during the upcoming negotiations,” the CRA said.
According to the unions, more than 35,000 CRA workers have been without a contract for more than a year and the government has yet to respond to their wage proposals.
“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC, said in a statement Friday.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait.”
Voting for the strike started Jan. 31 and ended Friday.
-- with files from Global News’ Eric Stober.
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers have voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of taking strike action, according to a statement released Friday from the Union of Taxation Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“Our members have sent a strong message to CRA,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, in a statement. “Workers can’t wait, and we’re ready to show this government we won’t let workers fall behind.”
The nearly 35,000 workers represented by the unions have been without a contract for more than a year, according to the statement, and the government has yet to respond to the unions' wage proposals.
A final round of negotiations is set for April 17-20 between PSAC and CRA, with members at CRA in a legal strike position as of April 14.
“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC, said in a statement.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait."
Brière said going on strike isn't a first choice.
“Tax season is here,” he added in the statement. “But securing a strong strike mandate now gives us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement our members deserve, that’s what we’re prepared to do."
PSAC is Canada's largest federal public service union, representing nearly 230,000 workers.
The strike votes began on Jan. 31 and ended Friday, and came after negotiations over wages and remote work broke down.
CRA ‘confident’ a compromise is possible as tax season strike fears grow
Story by Saba Aziz • 8h ago
As the deadline for filing taxes approaches, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it will be transparent about any impact to its services if workers go on strike -- potentially as soon as this week.
At the same time, the agency says it is "confident" a compromise can be reached.
“The CRA is committed to being transparent with Canadians about impacts to services, should they happen,” the agency said in a statement released Friday.
The deadline for filing income tax and benefit returns for 2022 is April 30, but since that's a Sunday CRA says Canadians can still file on May 1.
An ongoing labour dispute over contracts and wages resulted in CRA workers voting Friday in favour of strike action.
The CRA said it will resume negotiations later this month with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Taxation Employees to try to reach a new collective agreement that is both fair to workers and reasonable for taxpayers.
A final round of negotiations is set to take place April 17-20, with CRA workers in a legal strike position starting April 14.
“We are confident that the parties will find many areas of potential compromise and trade-off, through honest discussions and concessions by both sides, during the upcoming negotiations,” the CRA said.
According to the unions, more than 35,000 CRA workers have been without a contract for more than a year and the government has yet to respond to their wage proposals.
“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC, said in a statement Friday.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait.”
Voting for the strike started Jan. 31 and ended Friday.
-- with files from Global News’ Eric Stober.
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