The PSAC-UTE bargaining team – representing more than 33,000 members working at Canada Revenue Agency who rolled out historic aid to Canadians during the pandemic in record time – kicked off bargaining with the employer January 11-13.

The federal government relied on PSAC-UTE members to process over 27 million CERB applications over the past two years that provided financial relief to millions of Canadians hit hardest by COVID-19 – and they delivered. Now, our members should be able to rely on this government for a fair deal at the bargaining table. 

The PSAC-UTE bargaining team made it clear to the Agency they are looking to build on the gains they achieved in the last round of negotiations, and to secure a contract that recognizes the vital role they continue to play for Canadians.   

PSAC-UTE objectives this round include: 

• Work-life balance: Increased work-life balance for PSAC-UTE members at CRA is a priority. Members have gone above and beyond over the past two years. The PSAC-UTE negotiating team made it clear that employees are looking for additional paid time to take care of themselves and their families. 

• Job security: The Agency has repeatedly tried to contract out the work of PSAC-UTE members to private firms. Research has shown that privatization and contracting out means higher costs, more risk, and reduced quality of services. PSAC-UTE will be seeking new language in the collective agreement that will protect our work and our jobs, including improvements to the Workforce Adjustment Appendix.   

• Hours of work: The team is seeking language to further protect against evening, weekend and shift work, and greater compensation when such work is required. The team also believes that years of service should be recognized at the Agency beyond vacation accrual.   

• Remote work: The team will be seeking better protections and rights in the context of telework and remote work. Remote work has become a part of everyday life for the vast majority of our members, and it’s time to look to the future by enshrining it into our collective agreements.   

PSAC-UTE and the employer exchanged non-wage-related proposals at the table.  

PSAC-UTE proposals

Canada Revenue Agency proposals

The Agency has made proposals that would water down members’ rights with respect to hours of work, leave for term employees, and access to certain leave for all employees. The team made it clear PSAC-UTE is seeking to make gains in this round and will not accept concessions at the table. 

PSAC-UTE will be tabling wage proposals at a future date once they have received and analyzed employer payroll data. 

PSAC-UTE is scheduled to resume negotiations in February. We’ll be sure to provide updates as we progress. As always, membership solidarity and support are the key to achieving a fair contract. Together, we can make CRA a better place to work. 

Be sure to go to www.ute-sei.org and www.psacunion.ca for more information and to subscribe for regular updates. Also, should you have any questions please contact your UTE Local.

Our Members, Our Strength