News release

August 12, 2004

Parks Canada negotiations break down, workers begin strike actions

OTTAWA – Contract talks between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Parks Canada Agency broke down an hour before the strike deadline as the parties failed to reach an agreement.   The 4,800 members of the union at Parks Canada have begun strike actions in various national parks and historic sites across the country.

The parties were in a two-day negotiation session that started on Wednesday morning to try and reach a last-minute tentative agreement, with a looming strike deadline of 12:01 a.m., Friday.  

“We tried hard to reach a tentative agreement by moving significantly from our previous position and acknowledging the recommendations of the conciliation board,” says Jeannie Baldwin, the PSAC officer overseeing negotiations with Parks Canada.   “But the employer hasn't moved by much from their position in the last two days – basically they came, tabled a minor improvement on their pay position then shut down.”

The main stumbling block is wages, including the union's demand to reduce a 20-per-cent wage gap between operational service workers at Parks Canada and their counterparts in the private and public sectors.   The employer's offer was a mere 4% to address this issue.   As part of their proposal for reducing the wage gap, the union wanted to phase out pay zones that pay different rates to, for example,   general labourers in B.C. and in Quebec by as much as a 10% difference.   The employer simply refused to deal with this demand.

“While we're on strike, we will do our best to avoid any inconvenience to the public,” says Baldwin.   “Unfortunately, disruptions in services will happen.   We ask for the public's patience and for them to help end the strike early by writing to their MPs and to Parks superintendents to urge them to get back to the negotiating table with better offers.”

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For information:            Joselito Calugay, PSAC communications officer,                                           (613) 560-4235 or (613) 293-9324 (cell)

                                      Alain Cossette, PSAC communications officer,                                           (613) 560-4317 or (613) 293-9210 (cell)

                                      Denis Boivin, communications co-ordinator,                                          (613) 560-4280 or (613) 324-0522 (cell)