The federal government has once again fallen short in addressing the ongoing Phoenix pay system disaster. On January 23, the government announced they won’t meet their target to eliminate the backlog of Phoenix cases, as only 27 per cent of the overall target has been achieved. 

“The federal government’s failure to meet its targets for Phoenix is frustrating but unsurprising for the tens of thousands of public service workers trapped in this nearly decade-long disaster,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President. “Stress, uncertainty, and financial hardship have become the norm, and the latest announcement proves the chaos is far from over.” 

Despite repeated promises from the federal government to address the issues, progress remains frustratingly slow.  

Over the last quarter alone, while 24,970 backlog cases were resolved, 17,345 new cases were added. That means the net backlog reduction of 7,625 cases this quarter barely scratches the surface of the problem. With over 383,000 pay transactions waiting to be processed, workers are done with excuses. They need real solutions. 

In its public update, the government attempted to highlight the work they’re doing to address the backlog, but the numbers tell the real story: 

• 383,000 transactions waiting in the queue, demonstrating the scale of the crisis. 
• Only 27% of the 2024-25 goal was achieved, which falls well short of the government’s aim to eliminate 49,000 backlog cases this year. 
• 201,000 cases outstanding for more than a year, proving the current intake overwhelms the system's processing capacity and perpetuates the backlog. 

The government has consistently failed to resolve the long-standing pay problems plaguing the Phoenix pay system and the backlog of pay issues affecting PSAC members. That’s why DeSousa has, in correspondences with the Minister of Public Services and President of the Treasury Board, demanded that the government take swifter action on this issue. She has also put them on notice that PSAC will not rule out taking this fight to the Federal Court if inadequate progress continues to be made. 

The federal government’s ongoing failure to meet its legal duty to provide timely and accurate pay to public service workers is unacceptable. Workers deserve more than empty promises. They deserve real action. It’s time for the government to work with PSAC to set real benchmarks and timelines for resolving pay issues once and for all, as well as consent to active supervision by the Federal Court of its progress towards eliminating the backlog.