News release

June 29, 2004

New government should focus on enhancing public services and averting upcoming strike

OTTAWA – If Prime Minister Paul Martin is going to live up to his promise that a Liberal government will do better, he will need to act quickly to avert a serious disruption in federal public services. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is calling on the new government to act quickly to avert a massive federal public sector strike expected later this summer.

“The new government needs to establish a reasonable mandate and start negotiating very soon,” says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. “The alternative will be strike action that will have a major impact on the delivery of federal public services.”

Turmel has written to Prime Minister Martin asking him to review the government’s current mandate and to take an active role in the bargaining process by meeting with the union’s leadership to talk about averting a strike. She has also written to the Leader of the Opposition and to the leaders of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, both of whom will play a key role in the survival of the Liberal minority government.

“PSAC is not just concerned about negotiations,” indicates Turmel. “During the election, there was much talk of “program review, program cuts, privatization and public-private partnerships. Given that all the political parties used the election to highlight increased spending in some areas, PSAC members – and all Canadians – have a right to ask how these initiatives will be funded and what other programs, services or expenditures will be cut.”

Turmel points out that PSAC members working on the front line have a wealth of experience that can be used to identify expenditures, such as contracted-out services, that are more expensive and less accountable.

“As a result of the sponsorship scandal, the Liberals have been emphatic about the need to clean house and to demonstrate honesty and integrity,” says Turmel. “One of the ways in which they can restore accountability and credibility to government is to enact effective legislation to protect whistleblowers, supported by strong collective agreement language.”

Turmel also calls on the Prime Minister to ensure that human rights are on the political agenda in the new Parliament. “The new government can take the high road and protect the rights of a minority that has been discriminated against all too frequently by putting same sex marriage at the forefront of its agenda,” suggests Turmel.

PSAC has 130,000 members at Treasury Board, Parks Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency who are getting ready to appear before Conciliation Boards, the final step before a strike can take place. The Conciliation Board hearings are starting in July.

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For information: Louise Laporte, PSAC Communications, (613) 560-4287

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