(Montreal) The union representing 4,100 workers in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency declares a deadlock in its negotiations and requests reconciliation.
The Canadian Public Service Alliance, which represents them, as well as the agency, confirmed the information on Monday.
These 4,100 workers are responsible for inspecting meat, poultry, and fresh produce, as well as ensuring compliance with programs and rules set forth in federal laws. They also take care of the maintenance of equipment and buildings and perform administrative work.
Finding a dead end and the union’s request for reconciliation comes after negotiation sessions since the summer of 2022 and a new session from February 28 to March 2.
During this last session, the PSAC deadlocked. It also claims that the agency demands concessions from employees.
“After the employer ignored key employee demands for months—telecommuting, stand-by time, job security and fairness—this inappropriate offer was the final straw. As if that wasn’t enough, the employer tried to extract important concessions from them. , by proposing to cancel their gains, both in terms of hours worked and call-up pay, availability and return to work,” the PSAC denounced in a communication to its members.
“The union team made it clear to him that they will not accept any concessions,” the coalition warned.
Salary increases and telecommuting are also in dispute. Telecommuting is also at the center of PSAC’s demands with the Treasury Board and other federal agencies or organizations.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency asserts that it “will now use the conciliation process in accordance with the Federal Public Sector Employment Relations Act,” since the union required it.
But it says it “is of the view that the parties have not yet negotiated sufficiently and made all reasonable efforts to conclude a renewed collective agreement and that it is too early to declare an impasse”.
The agency says it is “ready to return to the table as soon as possible” with the Public Service Alliance of Canada with the goal of creating a contract that is “fair and reasonable for employees, their employer, Canadians and Canadians”.
“The agency recognizes how important it is to diligently and promptly complete these agreements for several reasons, including primarily our responsibility to our employees who are proud to belong to an organization like ours and who seek to be sure of the way forward,” it concluded.
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