The federal public servants’ strike is backing Ottawa into a corner
What explains the gap? In part, it is because governments face softer budget constraints than private-sector employers: It is always possible to borrow to cover any shortfall between revenues and expenses, and always tempting to shift the costs of employment and other expenses onto future generations, rather than the generation that votes in the next election.
All of which is to provide some context to the current dispute. It is impossible to look at the union demands or management offers without taking into account where they are starting from. But a number of factors suggest the Liberals would think twice before reaching for such a lever in the current dispute. For starters, it would undo all of their previous efforts to cozy up to the unions. Worse, it would provide an opportunity for the NDP to remind the unions who their real friends are, and to differentiate themselves from the Liberals in the minds of progressive voters.
It is one thing to prohibit strikes where essential services are concerned or public safety is in peril – exceptions for which the Court explicitly made room. But there’s already a carve-out for essential workers – they remain on the job – and the threat to public safety from closed passport offices or delays in processing tax returns seems remote.
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