Federal workers vote in favour of walk-out
Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 04/01) - Some 87,000 federal employees -- including 700 in the North -- have voted in favour of strike action if the government doesn't improve its offer of a two per cent raise.
The administrative, operational, technical, education and library employees voted nearly 70 per cent in favour of strike action, should further negotiations fail to resolve their contract disputes. Results of the vote were announced May 28.
| Just the facts
- Number of PSAC employees in the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut: 700 - Current inflation rate: 3.6 per cent - What the federal government is offering: two per cent salary increase in each of next three years |
PSAC regional representative Debbie McLaughlin said the employer is offering a two per cent raise each year over the next three years and refused to move on better benefits. She said the membership feels cheated.
"We think it's very unfair, after Paul Martin putting out that big budget in the spring, saying how many billions more they have in the surplus," she said. "MPs just got a big raise and high-level executives got an 8.7 per cent increase."
"The union people are saying, 'Why are we being left out? We did our part when the government had no money. We settled for zero per cent and two per cent.'"
PSAC national president Nycole Turmel issued a statement echoing the membership's concerns.
"We've had enough of Treasury Board's double standard of offering the front-line workers a two per cent increase while giving the senior executives 8.7 per cent," Turmel said.
"With inflation hitting 3.6 per cent in April, its highest rate in a decade, our members are reminding their employer that if the Treasury Board continues to dismiss their legitimate concerns and demands they'll take the necessary action to bring these issues forward and get them settled," she said.
"Our members face the same rising energy and food prices that the senior executives do."
PSAC local leaders met in Yellowknife last Friday to plan for the next course of action.
