Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
By now you must have heard that our bargaining team has declared an impasse in our negotiations. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has responded by expressing their “disappointment.” This is rather rich and ironic, given that they have refused to meaningfully engage on any of our major issues.
They flat-out refused to negotiate remote work, despite the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board’s ruling in the Library of Parliament case, which clearly states that remote work can and should be negotiated as a working condition at the bargaining table. The Agency has also refused to address the growing use of Artificial Intelligence, which presents a real and immediate threat to our members’ jobs. The Agency has provided nothing in the way of Work Force Adjustment (WFA) language in the collective agreement. And even in the face of renewed calls for better working conditions for contact centre employees, the Agency remains focused solely on gaining more control, never on improving employees’ work environment.
Rather than spending their time fixating on the “number of demands” submitted by our bargaining team, the Agency could have focused on addressing our members’ real concerns. While the CRA sees fit to criticize our wage proposals, they conveniently ignore the rising cost of living that our members face every day, all while showing no concern over their own compensation or bonuses.
We have seen all sort of iterations of slogans like “Employer of Choice” and “People First.” Yet not once do their proposals, or even their preamble, mention members’ work–life balance or improving working conditions. Their mandate seems to rely on workers carrying the burden of austerity measures while senior management prioritizes program results over the people who actually deliver them. Austerity always seems to fall on workers, never on senior bureaucrats.
It would serve the Agency well to “read the room.” On one hand, they express disappointment over the declaration of an impasse. On the other, they immediately followed suit with the government’s announcement to increase the mandatory presence in the office of its workers to four days a week, just the day before. In what world did they think such a decision would be well received? They claim to know what is best for our members yet consistently fail to bring forward any substantial proposals that would genuinely improve your working conditions.
On February 25, we will be distributing information across the country outlining our next steps. We ask that you join in and talk to your local executive.
It feels like Groundhog Day. Once again, it is clear the Agency is not interested in moving forward with negotiations to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that would recognize your hard work and commitment.
If they are looking for a fight, we will stand together and face them head-on.
In solidarity,
Marc Brière
National President
Adam Jackson
2nd National Vice President