Hundreds of public service workers hit the picket lines in Kitchener

Members of Canada’s largest federal public service union hit the picket lines Wednesday morning.

Some 155,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members are off the job, including 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees – meaning we could see delays when it comes to travel and taxes.

The union is calling the strike action one of the largest in Canadian history.

In Kitchener, hundreds picketed in front of the CRA office downtown.

“We’re really happy with the turnout,” strike captain Sam Brunton-Lewis said. “Everybody’s in good spirits out here and [we’re] looking to get a fair contract by showing up here and showing our solidarity.”

Negotiations between the government and union are expected to continue despite the strike.

Wage increases have been top of mind at the bargaining table, with the union pushing for annual raises of 4.5 per cent over the next three years. The union says the increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living. The Treasury Board says it offered the union a nine per cent raise over three years on Sunday, on the recommendation of the third-party Public Interest Commission.

“We are in the middle of contract negotiations,” said Melanee Jessup, local president, Union of Taxation Employees 00015. “What we are looking for is a fair livable wage that keeps pace with inflation and the government is not willing to entertain that.”

The ability to continue to work remotely is also a top issue – and one experts say could be precedent setting.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

With file from The Canadian Press.