Some federal employees who were on strike may continue to get their regular paycheques, for now

After a nationwide strike involving more than 155,000 federal public servants was launched in mid-April, workers on strike were told they should plan to see pay reductions as early as their May 10 paycheque, given that public servants are paid two weeks in arrears. The government has indicated, however, that a number of employees could only see the first cuts in future pay periods.

According to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), which operates as the government’s pay and pension administrator, while the feds and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have reached a tentative agreement, ending the strike, there may still be some service impacts over the next few days and weeks as services return to full capacity.

During the strike, workers were required by the union to picket for four hours a day in order to receive strike pay, with most members receiving $75 a day for a maximum per-calendar week of $375. Some components and locals offered strike pay top-ups.

Employees who chose to strike were considered by the government to be on leave without pay and are not to be paid for the time they participated in strike activity.

In an email to this newspaper, Alexandre Baillairgé-Charbonneau, spokesperson for PSPC, said Monday that employees who went on strike may see their pay adjusted as early as May 10, a process that could continue over more than one pay.

Depending on when transactions are entered, and given the volume of transactions anticipated, however, PSPC said some employees could see first reductions in future pay periods.

“Once processed, strike-period (leave without pay) will be recovered from first available funds,” Baillairge-Charbonneau said. “Employees will not receive an overpayment letter as overpayment flexibilities do not apply. The recovery will be identified on employee pay stubs, which are available on MyGCPay.”

According to the government, processing of overpayments of leave without pay resulting from a withdrawal of service must be treated as a priority by managers and human resources and compensation advisers.

PSAC’s website states that, based on past precedents and expert advice from union Phoenix experts and members working at the Pay Centre, it does not anticipate any Phoenix complications.

“The Government of Canada is committed to processing all pay transactions in a timely manner,” Baillairge-Charbonneau said.