CRA workers remain on picket lines

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This article was published 02/05/2023 (859 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada Revenue Agency workers in Winnipeg are still walking picket lines, as talks between their union and Ottawa continue.

The continued strike by about 35,000 members of the Union of Taxation Employees nationwide comes after its parent union, Public Service Alliance of Canada, reached deals with the Treasury Board early Monday for more than 120,000 other public servants, ending a 12-day strike.

Gary Esslinger, the tax union’s Prairie regional vice-president, said about 2,500 workers were picketing outside the Winnipeg Tax Centre on Stapon Road.

Mid-day Tuesday, the mood at the picket line was upbeat, as some strikers played music from speakers and others banged on impromptu drums made of buckets, walking in a circle down the sidewalks of Stapon Road between Regent Avenue West and Reenders Drive.

About 3,500 people work at the tax centre, Esslinger said, while 500-plus more CRA employees who work at two tax offices downtown were picketing at Portage Avenue and Main Street.

“I don’t think we’ll get a settlement today, hopefully, maybe an offer tomorrow we can take back to the membership,” said Esslinger. “I’m surprised people are smiling still, the mood has really improved.”

He said the strikers want to “get it over with,” but want that done with a “decent settlement.”

The tentative agreements between PSAC and the Treasury Board include a 11.5 per cent wage increase over four years, including an additional 0.5 per cent group-specific allowance in the third year of contracts. The union said the compounded wage increases add up to 12.6 per cent over the four years.

The PSAC workers will also receiving a one-time, pensionable $2,500 payment, representing an additional 3.7 per cent of the salary of an average union member.

The Treasury Board’s president told reporters Monday the new deal will cost about $1.3 billion a year.

Esslinger said the main sticking point in the ongoing labour dispute is wages, as well as the right to work remotely and job security.

The union leader said the tax agency was being flexible with remote work arrangements, but more recently made a return to the office mandatory. “They had all these options, they were working from home exclusively, and now it’s no longer an option.”

The tax union said it is asking for compensation for increased cost of living and inflation, and increase to bring wages in line for CRA workers with other public service employees.

The CRA said Monday its goal is to reach a new collective agreement that is fair to employees and reasonable for taxpayers. The agency said its confident the tentative agreement inked with the larger union will address the tax union’s key priorities.

It noted the tax payment deadline — May 1 — still stood, but the “vast majority” of tax returns are filed electronically and processed automatically, without additional delay.

Esslinger said about 98 per cent of returns were filed electronically, most of which have already been processed.

“People that have questions, they likely aren’t getting through — we just ask them to be patient,” said Esslinger. “As long as you filed your return, and paid what you think you owe, I don’t believe the agency would impose any penalty.”

Meantime, federal Families Minister Karina Gould warned Canadians to expect long lines at passport offices this week as the public service resumes work. She told reporters it’s expected the offices will see a higher volume of applications this week as a result of strike-related delays.

On Tuesday afternoon, Winnipeg’s Main Street passport office did not appear particularly busy. A security guard advised the wait was about an hour-and-a- half.

— with files from The Canadian Press

erik.pindera@winnipegfreepress.com