After renewed NPF negotiations broke off again last week, Ian Poulter, CEO of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), which employs Staff of the Non-Public Funds (NPF), sent an email to employees panning the union.

In the email, Poulter said “PSAC-UNDE was unwilling to accept what we offered.” He feels that his offer of a 12 per cent increase over three years is sufficient because it’s more than what the Program and Administrative Services group (PA group) in the core public service accepted, which was 12 per cent over four years.

What he failed to mention is the drastic difference in wages between these two groups. With an average annual salary of $43,300, NPF members are making substantially less than PA group members earning $71,600 per year on average. A 12 per cent increase goes a lot further when you’re already making more money. But NPF workers are some of the lowest paid in the public service, so these are clearly very different circumstances.

Mr. Poulter is obviously trying to break our strike by gaslighting members into believing his offer is reasonable. But let’s not forget, it’s less than what six different Public Interest Commission reports recommended our members should receive and does nothing to address the need for a national wage grid.

CFMWS continues to claim, “there are no additional funds for wage increases beyond what has been offered,” yet they’re opting to instead invest their resources in replacement workers and private security officers to keep watch over our members on the picket line.

They’re spending money to keep workers on strike rather than negotiating a fair deal.

This employer has shown a complete disregard for the well-being and dignity of our members, and their stubbornness not only prolongs the strike, but deepens the financial strain on our members.

We have no choice but to keep ramping up our actions to bring attention to this injustice. We’ll continue to take our message to the Minister of National Defence and other decision-makers in Parliament until they intervene to bring NPF back to the table with a new mandate to reach a fair contract.

Strategic actions disrupt employer events

Despite temperatures dipping this week, members spirits remained high on the picket lines as actions continued to ramp up the pressure on the employer.

On Tuesday, striking workers gathered outside a leadership conference at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean to demand a resolution to the strike. Nearly 150 picketers representing strike workers from Montreal–St-Jean, Valcartier, Bagotville, Kingston, Ottawa, and Petawawa were in attendance. Our presence was noticed, as pressure outside the entrances forced organizers to postpone the start of the conference.

On Wednesday, over 130 picketers from five military bases protested outside a CFMWS health conference in Ottawa, distributing flyers to attendees and the public. Later, members held traffic at a nearby DND building.

Support NPF workers on the line 

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