More than 150,000 federal public servants with the Public Service Alliance of Canada were on strike for the seventh straight day as their union representatives continued to negotiate with the government for a bigger wage increase and more flexibility to work remotely.
Around the National Capital Region, striking workers made their presence felt and heard, circling buildings, chanting through megaphones and blasting music throughout the morning.
Hundreds of public servants marched across the Portage Bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., where some of the biggest federal buildings are located, holding up traffic for a short period Tuesday morning.
Outside the Prime Minister’s Office building and the Treasury Board headquarters a few blocks away, strikers limited entry to just one person every five minutes.
Here’s a summary of what may be disrupted:
- Passport processing, as Employment and Social Development Canada is warning that applications and other passport processing services may be partially or fully disrupted.
- Service Canada centres will be limited to clients in need of employment insurance, social insurance, the Canada Pension Plan and old age security.
- Global Affairs Canada says that the department will be limited to essential services in the event of a strike, but delays are expected.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada warns that people can expect delays with applications and appointments.
- Canada Revenue Agency warns there may be delays in processing income tax and benefit returns.
- Canadian Transportation Agency warns about delays to dispute resolutions and call-taking.
Source: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/striking-public-servants-block-access-to-government-buildings-and-key-infrastructure/article_34874313-2774-532b-80f7-93c2c3dcaf47.html
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/psac-strike-2023-issues-talks-news-updates-1.6813502
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/psac-strike-cra-passports-canada-workers-labour-action-trudeau-1.6815288
