March 2, 2022
It has been 3 months since the beginning of different job actions at the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The PSAC-UNE members of Local 70153 (Audit Services Group, ASG) are facing tumultuous contract negotiations. Earlier this week, the members of that Local went a step further and decided to go on a general strike for the first time in the history of the OAG.
The group, 75% of whom are women, plays a critical role in ensuring Canada’s federal and territorial governments are accountable to the public. These PSAC-UNE members perform a wide range of tasks within the OAG, from professional development, finance, contracting and procurement to translation and editing of the different audit reports.
Yet, it is also the lowest paid group at the OAG. The workers are asking for fair compensation, but Auditor General Karen Hogan and the Treasury Board, which oversees bargaining at the OAG, keeps rejecting their proposal.
The ongoing key bargaining issues are:
- An economic increase of a patterned settlement with the core public administration
- The establishment of a designed pay grid similar to what federal public servants get in other departments
- The fact that the employer keeps on saying they have no mandate to bargain
A Public Interest Commission (PIC) report was received last year which was favourable to this workforce. A request was made to move their dispute settlement route to binding arbitration. That was denied by their employer, knowing the PIC’s report would be a catalyst for the ASG to achieve a fair and just collective agreement. Our request to meet with Karen Hogan and Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board Secretariat, for the benefit of our members, was also unanswered.
Pay During a Strike
You should receive your regular salary during this strike. However, if the employer stops paying you, PSAC has a strike fund, and you are entitled to $75 a day, or to a maximum of $375 per week.
We are calling on Union solidarity and asking for donations to Local 70153 by contacting the UNE Finance department and let them know how much your Local would like to donate. You can contact UNE Finance & Administration Director Georges St-Jean at georges.stjean@une-sen.org.
For individual donations, please contact Marie-Ève Tremblay at UNElocal70153@gmail.com.
Individual donations can be sent to:
Local 70153
C/o Marie-Ève Tremblay
2071 Landry Street
Clarence Creek (ON)
K0A 1N0
OAG, get a mandate, and return to the table! UNE proudly represents our 170 members at the OAG and will support them in their fight to get a fair contract.