Foreign service strike: A by-the-numbers guide
By Jessie Willms and Michelle Zilio | Aug 8, 2013 12:50 pm | 0 Comments
The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) has been taking job action for the past two months, including rotating strikes and pickets outside of Canadian missions and offices abroad. The job action by the union’s immigration officials has led to delayed Canadian visa issuance across the world, frustrating visa applicants and hitting the Canadian tourism, education and business sectors hard.
After a failed attempt to agree to enter arbitration, PAFSO filed a bad-faith bargaining complaint against the Canadian government last week and asked the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) to order the union and Treasury Board to enter into binding arbitration.
PAFSO has been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without a contract since June 2011. The union is asking for a pay raise because some junior diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa.
These are just some of the numbers that tell the story of the strike.
michelle—PAFSO
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