March 21 marks International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. PSAC is committed to fighting racism and promoting employment equity in the workplaces we represent, within our own union, and in our communities.

At the bargaining table, we’re taking action to address decades of systemic racism experienced by Black, Indigenous and racialized workers. That work starts with mandatory training for all federal public service workers on equity, diversity and inclusion, and the history of Indigenous peoples, along with decolonizing our next collective agreements. Learn more about our work on equity and bargaining.

We continue to support the Black Class Action lawsuit against the federal government that reveals the extent to which systemic racism exists in the federal public service and its hiring and promotional practices. PSAC members are encouraged to attend our panel “Fighting for Equity: Panel on the Black Class Action Lawsuit” on March 21 at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). 

We’re also pushing for long overdue changes to the federal Employment Equity Act to address the exclusion and discrimination marginalized workers continue to face in the workplace. Nearly 6,000 PSAC members told us the changes they want to see in the Act during our recent survey, which guided our submission to the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. This is the first review of the Act in 20 years.

So much of the work ahead hinges on uprooting and dismantling the racist structures in so many of our institutions, and that includes our union and the labour movement. As part of our Anti-Racism Action Plan, PSAC will review how we serve, mobilize, engage and represent Black, Indigenous and racialized members in the fight against systemic racism.

You will have the opportunity to participate through education sessions and workshops, a dedicated membership survey, focus groups, telephone townhalls, discussions and more. Our first in a series of town halls will take place this spring.

Together, we’ll continue to build a strong, unified and anti-racist union that leads the fight against systemic oppression and discrimination.

Get engaged and take action

• Attend the Black Class Action lawsuit event, “Fighting for Equity: Panel on the Black Class Action Lawsuit” at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) on March 21. 

• Explore PSAC’s anti-racism resources, including webinars on anti-Asian racism. 

• View PSAC’s anti-racism employment equity toolkit for members. 

• Read our conversation starter, “How can we tackle systemic racism and build equity in the workplace?” 

• Engage with Canadian Labour Congress’s Beyond Black History Month resources and actions.