Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Chris Aylward called a strike vote across the country Feb. 27 which could lead to strike action and impact federal services this spring in the NWT.
There are 500 PSAC members who are Treasury Board of Canada Secretary employees in the Northwest Territories.
PSAC is the last and largest of the unions representing federal employees that is yet to reach a settlement with the federal government concerning damages from the Phoenix wage system and wage increases in line with the cost of living.
Workers with the Treasury Board in the NWT include service-related office workers such as Service Canada, Transport Canada or Passports Canada, field officers like food inspectors, long-Census workers, Indigenous teachers, and Parks Canada workers such as park wardens and office receptionists.
These workers are among 150,000 federal employees across the country and of the 60 per cent of the entire federal public service represented by PSAC.
PSAC North has scheduled telephone town halls for today (March 9) and tomorrow (March 10) which "will focus on bargaining and the strike votes" and which will involve Aylward.
PSAC hosted bargaining information sessions at the union building - also known as the North Star Building - on March 6 featuring national negotiator Gail Lem.
Yusur Al-Bahrani, communications officer with Public Service Alliance of Canada North, stated in an email Friday on behalf of Jack Bourassa, regional executive vice-president for PSAC North, that there have been discussions involving northern federal employees and the union concerning job action following the strike vote announcement.
Michael Aubry, political communications officer with the national office for PSAC based in Ottawa, said strike votes are being taken between March 16 and May 7.
"We have reached an impasse and whenever that happens there is a Public Interest Commission and the two sides try to mediate with a chairperson," he said.
"We went to those meetings and the recommendation came back that the government will have to offer greater wage increases and a better Phoenix deal than what they are offering now. The report came back and that is when the National president issued strike votes for all of those numbers."
Depending on the will of the membership based on strike votes, the union will have the right to strike if there is a majority in support.
Aubry estimated that this could mean federal strikes may take place as early as mid-May.
"Right now we have announced we will have strike votes," Aubry said. "We don't have any dates set for strike votes but they will take place from March to May. Once all of the strike votes are done, and if we get a strike mandate, then we can call a strike."