The FPSLRA: What it is and why it needs to change 

If you’ve ever wondered why it takes years to get a new collective agreement, why some of your working conditions are “off the table” at bargaining, or why grievances drag on — you’re not alone. 

With a new round of Treasury Board bargaining underway, it’s a good time to get familiar with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act (FPSLRA), the legislation that governs collective bargaining and labour relations in the federal public sector and covers nearly 190,000 PSAC members.  

Compared to other labour laws across the country, the FPSLRA is slow, rigid, and outdated. It creates barriers that make it harder for workers to bargain fairly and resolve disputes quickly. In short: it stacks the deck in the employer’s favour.  

Watch this short video to learn how the FPSLRA works — and how it’s working against us. 

We deserve better 

This round of bargaining isn’t just about improving wages and working conditions — it’s also about fixing a system that’s holding us back.

PSAC is calling on the federal government to modernize the FPSLRA to support timely, fair, and effective bargaining. 

That means: 

  • Streamlining the dispute resolution process, especially by removing the mandatory and ineffective Public Interest Commission (PIC) that delays bargaining by months. 

  • Expanding the scope of what can be negotiated at the table, including key issues like staffing, pensions, and systemic discrimination — so workers have a real voice on what matters most. 

  • Ending the use of replacement workers during strikes, so workers aren’t pitted against each other, and disputes don't drag out even longer. 

These are basic rights that workers in other sectors already have. It’s time federal public service workers had them too. 

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July 22, 2025