More than 120,000 members of the Public Services Alliance of Canada will begin strike ballots next month, as Ottawa claims the union is not negotiating "in good faith" a new collective agreement.
The union, also known as PSAC, said Tuesday that the strike ballots will be for workers in program and administrative services, technical services, education and librarianship, and operational services groups. They will take place between Feb. 22 and April 19.
The four bargaining units involved are part of the Treasury Board Secretariat, a central government agency that facilitates a significant amount of work related to the basic operation of the federal government.
"Federal public service workers have been here when Canadians needed them most, helping us through crisis after crisis," said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, in a press release.
"Now, the government must be here for working people, because as they drag their feet on getting things right, we all pay the price."
Earlier this month, the federal government filed two complaints against PSAC alleging that the union is not negotiating "in good faith" for a new agreement.
PSAC left the bargaining table on September 1, 2022, during the sixth bargaining session and declared an impasse. The parties had been negotiating since last summer.