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☆ Canada's economy unchanged in April, but likely surged 0.4% in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, June 30 (Reuters) - The Canadian economy was unchanged in April from March, missing forecasts, before likely rebounding with a 0.4% jump in real gross domestic product in May, Statistics Canada said on Friday. March GDP was upwardly revised to 0.1% growth from an initial report of flat growth. Canada's goods-producing sector expanded 0.1% in April, but were offset by a slight decline in the service-producing sector. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector and the utilities sector are expected to be post declines in May. Declines in wholesale trade as well as finance and insurance also contributed to the softness in the services sector.

Persons: Statscan, Ismail Shakil, Dale Smith Organizations: OTTAWA, Statistics, Reuters, Bank of Canada, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Thomson Locations: Statistics Canada, Ottawa

OTTAWA, June 30 (Reuters) - Canada's economy regained momentum in May after stalling in April, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday, leaving the door open for the Bank of Canada to hike interest rates in July. The economy was unchanged in April from March, missing forecasts, in what economists said was the fallout from a federal civil servant strike in April. Canada's goods-producing sector expanded 0.1% in April, but were offset by a slight decline in the service-producing sector. Figueiredo expects the central bank to raise interest rate by another 0.25% in July. Money markets see a roughly 61% chance of the central bank hiking rates in July.

Persons: Statscan, it's, Doug Porter, Desjardins, Tiago Figueiredo, Figueiredo, Ismail Shakil, Nivedita Balu, Dale Smith, Jonathan Oatis, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: OTTAWA, Statistics, Bank of Canada, Reuters, BMO Capital Markets, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Toronto Stock, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Toronto

☆ Canada, revenue agency workers reach deal, heading off Trudeau confrontation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's government reached a deal with 35,000 revenue agency workers on Thursday, ending a strike that had slowed the processing of annual tax returns and heading off a potential embarrassment for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The tentative agreement is very similar to the deal struck on Monday with 120,000 federal employees, according to statements by both the government and the union. Both the revenue agency workers and other federal departments had walked out on April 19. The proposed agreement includes an 11.5% wage increase over four years, with a 0.5% allowance in the third year, and a one-time $2,500 bonus for employees, the Canada Revenue Agency said separately in a statement. The union calculates the deal as a "compounded" overall wage increase of 12.6% in four years.

☆ Canadian Government Workers End 12-Day Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Public-sector workers on strike in Ottawa last week. The Public Service Alliance of Canada went on strike starting April 19, seeking a 13.5% wage increase over three years. The deal affects about 120,000 employees, who help process immigration and passport applications and deliver jobless benefits to the unemployed. The agreement doesn’t cover about 30,000 workers at Canada’s tax-collection agency. Employees there remain on strike, and the dispute is expected to affect the processing of tax returns that were due Sunday, officials say.

☆ Some Canadian workers in wage pact with government to end strike from Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Canada reached agreement for a new wage deal with a union representing 120,000 federal workers, the union said on Monday, bringing an end to the country's largest public sector strike that had crippled services from tax returns to immigration. "Strike action continues across the country for 35,000 members at Canada Revenue Agency," the union said, adding that talks would resume with a new mandate for a fair contract. Their key outstanding concerns include fair wages, the right to work remotely, and the role of seniority in layoffs. However, the Treasury workers' deal exceeded "the employer's original offer before the launch of strike action", the union added. Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canadian government says it gave striking union 'final offer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Picketers march on Parliament Hill as approximately 155,000 public sector union workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continue to strike, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File PhotoApril 29 (Reuters) - Canadian government negotiators have presented striking public workers with a "final offer," the Treasury Board of Canada said on Saturday, aiming to end a dispute that has disrupted services ranging from tax returns to passport renewals. The head of the union representing some 155,000 striking public workers earlier this week accused the government of stalling and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get involved in negotiations. On Saturday, the Treasury Board, which oversees public administration, said it gave the union its offer on Friday. "This is a fair, competitive and reasonable final offer," the Treasury Board said in a statement.

☆ Canada calls public worker strike demands 'unaffordable'; union urges Trudeau intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Picketers march on Parliament Hill as approximately 155,000 public sector union workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continue to strike, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Blair GableOTTAWA, April 26 (Reuters) - The union representing some 155,000 striking Canadian public workers is making "unaffordable" demands, the Treasury Board of Canada said on Wednesday, while the union head accused the government of stalling. The strike by federal government workers, represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, entered its eighth day on Wednesday, affecting services ranging from tax returns to passport renewals. Union President Chris Aylward called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get involved in negotiations and give the Treasury Board a new mandate. Earlier Wednesday the union said it was escalating strike action, blocking ports in Vancouver, Montreal and Saint John’s.

[1/2] Picketers gather and march downtown as approximately 155,000 public sector union workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continue to strike, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 24, 2023. For the 155,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) on strike, the main sticking point is wages. "If they do get the remote work language in the collective agreement, then others will be inspired to do the same." PSAC, which names remote work as its second priority after wages, said on its website that it is time to look to the future "by enshrining remote work protections" into collective agreements. On Tuesday the Treasury Board said remote work remained a sticking point.

TORONTO, April 23 (Reuters) - A strike by about 155,000 Canadian federal government workers is closer to a resolution, with progress made on remote work and wage increases for Treasury Board employees, the union said on Sunday. The strike is scheduled to continue for now amid ongoing talks about a deal for revenue agency workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said in a statement. "At Treasury Board we made some headway on remote work language, and both sides have moved in order to get closer to a resolution on wage increases," said Chris Aylward, National President of PSAC. The talks with the government about wage increases for revenue agency workers, who oversee tax returns, have not made progress, he added. The revenue agency workers wanted a pay hike of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers who oversee federal government administration were seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

OTTAWA, April 22 (Reuters) - A union representing some 155,000 striking Canadian public workers called on Saturday for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speed up negotiations over a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees. "I need to see the prime minister getting involved in these negotiations and helping and assisting to move these negotiations along," Aylward said. "There is no time, nor tolerance for stalling and misinformation," the office of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in a statement. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years. Apart from wages, PSAC also wants the new agreement to recognize the right to work remotely.

☆ Factbox: Canadian public servants' strike: demands and impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] PSAC National President Chris Aylward speaks to media after more than 155,000 public sector union workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) began a strike, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 19, 2023. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees: 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board and more than 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years. * New language in the agreement with the revenue agency to protect union members' work from being contracted out to private firms. About 48,000 union workers have been deemed essential and will continue to report to work during the labor disruption.

☆ Canada Government Workers Strike Over Pay to Offset Inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem told lawmakers this week that annual wage growth needs to slow from its current level. Photo: David Kawai/Bloomberg NewsOTTAWA—About 150,000 Canadian government workers went on strike early Wednesday, in a dispute over wage increases that could have implications on efforts by the country’s central bank to sharply slow inflation. The Public Service Alliance of Canada is seeking wage gains of 13.5% over a three-year period, or roughly 4.5% a year. Union leadership said this would help offset the sharp acceleration in inflation in Canada and the rest of the developed world since the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, due to a combination of supply-chain constraints, stronger-than-expected consumer demand, and the war in Ukraine’s impact on commodity prices.

☆ Canada public workers to strike over pay dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 18 (Reuters) - A union representing some 155,000 public sector workers in Canada called for a strike starting on Wednesday after failing to reach a new wage deal with the federal government, setting up a walkout that could affect tax filings and passport services. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union, which has been in collective bargaining for a new contract since 2021, had set a deadline of 9 p.m. The strike will affect federal services and could delay tax refunds since about 35,000 workers at the revenue agency would be walking out in the middle of tax filing season. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees - 120,000 workers under Canada's Treasury Board, which oversees public administration, and 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers initially sought a pay bump of more than 30% over three years, while the other group is seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

☆ A third of federal workers are on strike in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Paula Newton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ottawa CNN —Nearly a third of Canada’s federal workers walked off the job Wednesday morning in one of the largest strikes in the country’s history. But in a statement released late Tuesday, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing government workers, said it had ‘exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract’. “Now more than ever, workers need fair wages, good working conditions and inclusive workplaces,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president in a statement. Large-scale strikes have been popping up around the world as workers grow increasingly frustrated with surging inflation. Nationwide strikes in Germany, the United Kingdom and France have recently shut down services across the countries.

[1/5] A sign is pictured in front of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) national headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chris WattieOTTAWA, April 19 (Reuters) - About 155,000 federal workers in Canada walked off the job on Wednesday after failing to reach a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees, a strike that affects a range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union said contract negotiations would continue, and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the urgency of resolving the dispute. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees: 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board and more than 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

REUTERS/Chris WattieOTTAWA, April 19 (Reuters) - About 155,000 federal workers in Canada walked off the job on Wednesday after failing to reach a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees, a strike that affects a range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union and the federal government said negotiations are ongoing, and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the urgency of resolving the dispute. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees: 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board and more than 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years. "There's obviously still the concern that this contract could set a precedent for other public sector union negotiations," he said.

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