Negotiations for 35,000 PSAC-UTE members reach breaking point

PSAC and the Union of Taxation Employees – representing more than 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency – have declared impasse in negotiations after eight months of negotiations and continued calls for concessions from the agency, including during our latest round of talks August 31 to September 1. 

In July, PSAC-UTE provided the employer with our wage proposal that would ensure fair wages that keep up with the soaring cost of living. But despite having had ample time, CRA has still not responded. 

As workers continue to fall further behind soaring inflation, the agency’s stalling tactics are unacceptable and hurting our members and their families.  

They've also rejected or ignored proposals on many of our key issues, including provisions for remote work in the collective agreement, job protections, new protections in the context of hours of work, and better work-life balance. Many of these improvements have been agreed to by other federal employers since we settled our last contract. 

CRA says remote work decisions are at the sole discretion of management and aren’t interested in introducing protections against contracting out – although the agency said they would need another two months before they can respond to our job security proposals. They also aren’t prepared to recognize workers’ years of service. 

Our PSAC-UTE bargaining team is determined to achieve a fair contract that protects our hard-fought gains and provides new rights and protections for members.  

Union members at CRA deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  

Next steps 

PSAC-UTE has contacted the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board to move the collective bargaining process forward. We will release further updates on the process as they are available. 

Member support is key to securing a fair contract. Support your bargaining team with our digital background, learn more about our proposals, and sign up for regular updates. If you have any questions, please contact your UTE local

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September 1, 2022