COVID-19: PSAC strike votes and union events suspended

Strike votes

As the number of reported cases of the coronavirus rise in Canada, it is important that PSAC take precautions and act proactively to safeguard the health and safety of our members, as well as the Canadian public. In keeping with recommendations from both local and national health authorities, the union has made the difficult decision to suspend activities that would require a large gathering of members. Strike votes in particular will be suspended until March 30, and at that time the union will re-evaluate whether to continue the suspension or resume the strike votes. This includes the over 120,000 PSAC members of the Canada Revenue Agency, Treasury Board, and Parks Canada bargaining units. We must put the wellbeing of our members and all Canadians first at this critical time. Despite the suspension of votes, PSAC will continue to bargain for all units currently in negotiations. For updates on the 2019-n-CoV/COVID-19 situation in Canada, please visit: Government of Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada) – 2019 Novel Coronavirus infection: Outbreak update

PSAC events

Some large gatherings will also be postponed for the time being. This includes the upcoming 2020 PSAC National Women’s Conference that was set to take place in Ottawa from April 3 to 5. Should additional events be postponed, the union will be in touch directly with any participants that have registered for events and will update members on scheduling changes. To ensure the safety of our members, we also ask that smaller gatherings like local meetings, committee meetings, and regional activities be conducted remotely via teleconference or video conference wherever possible, or postponed. We will be updating our national and regional websites, social media, as well as sending information by email as the situation develops. We encourage all our members to check these resources regularly and subscribe to our mailing list.