Tensions still running high between federal workers union and Ottawa

PRINCE GEORGE — In an update on Saturday, the head of the union representing thousands of striking public-service workers says he is fed up with the pace of bargaining and is calling on the Prime Minister to get involved in the ongoing talks.

Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says the union presented a package of proposals to the federal negotiators on Thursday, but the union had yet to receive a response by Saturday afternoon and pointed the finger at the Treasury Board president today for failing to respond to a revised offer tabled Thursday night.

However, the office of the board’s president fired back, saying the union wasn’t reachable all day Friday and cancelled a planned meeting Saturday. More than 100,000 union members walked off the job Wednesday as contract talks broke down. The union says almost a third of all federal public servants are involved in the job action.

The workers are calling for wage increases and improvements to working conditions, as well as the option for remote work.