Canada reaches deal with 120,000 striking federal workers
Al JazeeraNov 29, 2022
The Facts
The Canada Revenue Agency on Thursday revealed it has struck a "tentative" deal with the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Union of Taxation Employees, ending a two-week strike of more than 35K workers.
The proposed agreement includes an 11.5% wage increase over four years, retroactive to 2021, and a one-time payment of CA$2.5K (US$1.8K). The deal also requires managers to assess work-from-home requests individually.
The Spin
Left narrative
This walkout — one of the largest in Canadian history — has made it clear that workers can resist and challenge the status quo by joining forces and standing up for each other, instead of just accepting whatever the employer offers. Canada's federal government was forced to raise its original offer, improving wages and working conditions due to the resolute strike action.
Right narrative
Government workers have long lost touch with reality, striking for unreasonable demands after working part-time — and remotely for full-time — pay since the outbreak of the pandemic. If they are truly dissatisfied and believe they are being underpaid by the federal government, they should resign and try the private sector.
