News Release

December 19, 2003

Revenue Agency workers vote overwhelmingly for strike action

OTTAWA – Public Service Alliance of Canada members at the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) are getting ready to walk the picket line if contract talks in the new year don't produce a settlement.

              “PSAC members at CCRA have voted 85% in favour of strike action,” says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel.   “Our union negotiating team will return to the table with a very strong mandate in support of our demands.   If the employer is not prepared to actually start negotiating, it will be a short step to our requesting the conciliation process.”

              PSAC called the strike vote on November 18.   Betty Bannon, President of the PSAC's Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) Component suggests that the vote in favour would have been even higher if the members had known about Paul Martin's plans.  

              “The Agency has spent the last year working on a new classification standard for our members,” says Bannon.   “The union expected to be negotiating salaries based on the new standard during this round of talks.   The government's announcement of a freeze on reclassifications could mean that our members continue to be paid on the basis of job descriptions that don't reflect the work they actually perform.”

              “As of December 12th, Customs Officers and other workers in the Customs stream who had been included in the negotiations with CCRA are now part of a new federal department, the Canada Border Services Agency,” says the PSAC's Customs and Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) President Ron Moran.   “As a result, these members will become part of the Treasury Board Program and Administrative Services group.   All our demands affecting Customs workers will now be submitted at Table 1 when negotiations for that group resume.”

              Turmel indicates that Prime Minister Martin's recent announcements are contributing to even lower morale in the federal public sector.   This could lead to more dissatisfaction, creating greater uncertainty for the public. “Canadians will not only have to worry about which public services will survive under the new Prime Minister, they may have to face disruptions in service if employers such as CCRA don't have a mandate to negotiate fairly with their workers.”

              Talks with the Agency are scheduled to resume on January 12th.   Bargaining began in August but there has been no progress on any of the major issues in dispute.     Some of the key issues on the table include economic increases, the negotiation of salary rates under the new Agency Classification Standard, job security, and better benefits for term workers including conversion to indeterminate status after three years.    

              PSAC now represents approximately 23,000 workers at CCRA with the removal of the Customs workers.   The collective agreement with the Agency expired on October 31, 2003.  

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For information:  
                           Betty Bannon, UTE national president, (613) 235-6704
                           Ron Moran, CEUDA national president, (613) 723-8008                            Louise Laporte, PSAC Communications (613) 560-4287

66-191203