Federal public service union calls wage offers ‘insulting’ and ‘unacceptable’

OTTAWA — A union representing more than 120,000 federal public servants whose contracts are up for renegotiation says wage offers presented by the federal government are “insulting” and “unacceptable.”

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the government has tabled wage proposals that amount to less than one per cent per year for workers in the administrative services, operational services and technical services groups.

News releases posted to the union’s website say the wage offers amount to 2 per cent in 2025 and 0.5 per cent in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The union, which called for wage increases of 4.75 per cent per year in December, says the offers represent a pay cut and send a message about the value the government attaches to public servants’ work.

Martin Potvin, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, said in an email that the government is committed to negotiating in good faith to reach agreements that are fair to employees and reasonable for Canadians.

“At the same time, we are spending less on government operations so that we can invest more in the priorities that matter most to Canadians, and areas critical to Canada’s future,” said Potvin.

Potvin said collective bargaining is a back-and-forth process that takes place over many months, and current negotiations are at an early stage.

“Out of respect for the collective bargaining process, we won’t comment on items discussed at the bargaining table,” he said.

In 2023, members of the same bargaining groups spent almost two weeks on picket lines across the country before winning wage increases amounting to 12.6 per cent over the agreement’s term, which ran from 2021 to 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press