As the Easter long weekend approaches, PSAC-Quebec is donating $30,000 to support its Non-Public Funds members on the 74th day of their strike for decent working conditions.
Thanks to the generous contributions from the Quebec Council and many locals, directly chartered locals, area councils and committees, this prolonged strike will weigh less heavily on our members who are already affected by the employer’s silence.
“These public service workers are the bedrock that supports Canadian Forces members and their families on a daily basis. They deserve to be seen and heard,” said Yvon Barrière, PSAC-Quebec Executive Vice-President. “We hope this show of union solidarity will help these strikers and their families, who are making this sacrifice for a better future in the face of a disrespectful employer that is acting against its own values.”
This $30,000 donation will go toward basic needs in the form of $150 grocery store and pharmacy gift cards, which will be distributed to every Quebec Non-Public Funds member participating in the strike effort.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Forces have shown no serious interest in returning to the bargaining table and have stooped to using replacement workers. Their attitude speaks volumes about how they view the employees who serve and support military personnel and their families.
This treatment is nothing new. In 1982, the Public Service Commission passed an order excluding all staff of the Non-Public Funds from the Public Service Employment Act, thereby relegating these workers to a second-class status. As a result, they are deprived of the working conditions, protections and fair pay scales enjoyed by so many of their colleagues doing equivalent work in the federal government. The order’s absurd consequences continue to be felt to this day, making life extremely precarious and burdensome for NPF employees, who struggle to earn a living and often have to take on second jobs to make ends meet.
We are asking the government to annul the 1982 order immediately so that Non-Public Funds workers can be treated with the same respect that we show the Canadian soldiers that they serve and train.