On strike

By the time you read this editorial, the labour dispute between the Treasury Board and the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) on one side and PSAC on the other, has either been settled or it’s already entered its second week, and if that’s the case, there’s no way of knowing how long it will last, especially when it comes to the negotiations between PSAC’s CRA bargaining unit and the federal government.

PSAC is asking for a wage increase of 20.5 per cent over three years plus a two per cent adjustment for inflation. At last report, the federal government has offered them a nine per cent increase over three years, which means they’re not just far apart, they are miles apart.

The salary impasse between the rest of PSAC’s members and the Treasury Board is a lot narrower. In that circumstance, PSAC is asking for a 13.5 per cent increase over three years.

The catch is that negotiators for both the Treasury Board and the CRA have already moved off their initial position. Back in March, the federal negotiators were only offering a 1.7 per cent increase per year over four years retroactive to June 2021, which is when the last collective bargaining agreement expired. That works out to a total proposed increase of 6.8 per cent. They’ve since upped the ante to nine per cent over three years, while PSAC has yet to budge off their demands, which the ball is entirely in PSAC’s court at the moment.

PSAC members who work for the Canadian Revenue Agency review and process tax returns, provide tax information services for the public, and intake the billions of dollars of government tax revenue.

While they are on strike, tax returns from millions of Canadians won’t be processed, which means that if you were hoping for a refund and were late getting your tax return in the mail, or haven’t filed it yet, you could be waiting a very long time.

What it doesn’t mean is that Canadians can enjoy a tax holiday. You are still expected to file your tax return by May 1, and if it’s late, you will still be assessed the relevant penalties and interest.

Don’t think for an instant assume you’re off the hook while the strike is on. It could be a very costly assumption.

As for the strike itself, let’s hope that’s it’s over sooner than later and that an equitable agreement can be reached by both sides.

In the meantime, a number of services will suffer or not be available at all. Among the services where delays can be expected are citizenship and passport services and Canadian Border Services. Service Canada Offices will remain open, but only to deliver essential services such as Employment Insurance, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS) and the issuance of Social Insurance Numbers – all will continue, although there may be delays and increased wait times on the phone, as if the wait times on the phone weren’t long enough all ready.

All of which to say, we need to exercise a little patience while the strike is on and hope that it ends as soon as possible.

– Fred Sherwin, editor

Fredrick C. Sherwin, Editor & Publisher fsherwin@orleansstar.ca