Some 50 Agriculture Union members were among over 500 Ottawa-Gatineau members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada to mark the third anniversary of the launch of the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system.

The February 28 protest action, which blocked entry to two major government buildings in the National Capital, demanded more concrete action from the Liberal government to reduce the number and severity of Phoenix screw-ups. It was the first of a number of actions the PSAC, our bargaining agent, intends to roll out across the country.

The Agriculture Union strongly urges our members to get involved with this national campaign. The PSAC has set up a Web site page to allow our members to act to show their support. It can be accessed HERE.

After three years of the Phoenix fiasco, thousands of our members across the country continue to be underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all.

Less well-publicized, but just as critical, Phoenix is delaying the implementation of our collective agreements and the retroactive pay our members are owed. To add insult to injury, in recent bargaining the government proposed a two-year wage freeze followed by a meagre wage increase of 0.75% increase for Agriculture Union members who work under Treasury Board authority.

The PSAC is insisting on a serious timeline to implement a functioning pay system, as well as damages to compensate the hundreds of thousands of federal public service workers who have suffered financial hardship and emotional distress.

Now is a good time to contact your local Member of Parliament and arrange to meet him or her in their constituency office to deliver a strong message: after suffering under Phoenix while working day after day to deliver services Canadians rely on, Agriculture Union members deserve so much more than this continued disrespect!