PSAC says ‘incompetence,’ ‘disrespect’ dragging out strike negotiations

The president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said Saturday that the union has not heard a response from the Treasury Board yet on a proposal for a deal that the union’s team submitted Thursday night. “This is a complete demonstration of the incompetence of this minister in this position, to allow these negotiations to draw out this long,” Chris Aylward said during a press conference, referring to Mona Fortier, the president of the Treasury Board. “I’ve never seen a round of bargaining like this.” Read more: Only 35% of PSAC members cast a ballot in strike vote, labour board says Aylward said the package delivered on Thursday was “comprehensive” and the union thought it “might get us to a deal.” He said that on Friday morning, he was told he’d get a response on one of the issues, but still hasn’t heard anything.

He blamed the federal government for “dragging out this negotiation” and said “disrespect” has been shown at the negotiating table.

Aylward also called out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “The prime minister has done nothing to move these negotiations along,” he said, requesting that he be more involved moving forward.

PSAC said earlier Saturday in a statement that talks with the federal government were continuing over the weekend as the public service strike finished up its first week. “We’ve continued to make some progress in negotiations this week as PSAC members joined picket lines across the country to pressure the government for a fair contract,” the union said in the statement. “However, there are several key issues still outstanding at the table, and talks will continue over the weekend for more than 155,000 workers at Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency in the hopes of reaching an