TB bargaining: Upcoming strike votes for PA, TC, and EB groups
PSAC announces strike votes for 120,000 federal public service workers
October 21, 2026
PSAC announced nationwide strike votes today for 120,000 federal public service workers in response to Treasury Board’s insulting wage proposal, push for concessions, and refusal to address critical workplace issues.
Strike votes for members in the Program and Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), and Education and Library Science (EB)bargaining groups will take place from November 16, 2026, to January 22, 2027.
“We want to negotiate a fair deal, but by pushing pay cuts and refusing to discuss any of our key issues, Treasury Board has given us no choice but to take strike votes,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president. “Federal public service workers are the backbone of this country: protecting communities, supporting veterans, responding when disaster strikes, and delivering the benefits people rely on every day. We will not let this government find its budget savings on the backs of workers.”
While PSAC continues to bargain in good faith, Treasury Board has stonewalled our efforts on important issues, even though other federal employers have already included similar provisions in their contracts.
Strike information and voting sessions will take place between November and January. Dates, locations, and registration details for information and voting sessions will be shared on October 28. Members will receive an email containing their voting credentials from communications@psac-afpc.vote.
How we got here
For a year and a half, the employer has refused to negotiate key issues, including fair wages, job security, remote work, and protections against artificial intelligence.
In April, the employer tabled a wage offer that averages less than 1% per year — a pay increase of just $58 per month over the life of the agreement. That’s a clear pay cut for workers who continue to absorb rising costs for food, rent, transportation, childcare, and other essentials while their wages move in the opposite direction.
Additionally, the employer is pushing several concessions that would significantly weaken workers’ rights, including:
- Removing workforce adjustment and the dental care plan from collective bargaining, stripping away our ability to negotiate job security and benefits improvements in future rounds.
- Expanding the normal daily work-hour window, allowing management to schedule workers at unusual hours without providing additional compensation.
- Increasing management discretion and control, making it harder for members to access provisions and leave they are entitled to.
What’s at stake
Workers in the PA, TC, and EB bargaining groups deliver critical public services across Canada, including as wildland firefighters, passport and benefit officers, fishery officers, federal teachers and librarians, and administrative professionals.
In 2023, 155,000 PSAC members across federal bargaining units spent 12 days on the picket line to secure a fair deal. Members have proven they will do whatever it takes to strengthen worker protections and will not allow Treasury Board to erode what has already been won.
“A strike is always our last resort, but we aren’t going to let Treasury Board roll back the rights we’ve fought so hard to win,” said DeSousa. “The employer is underestimating the strength of our members. We are organized, united, and ready to do whatever it takes to get the fair deal workers deserve.”
