My name is Katherine Crowe and I am one of the 155,000 PSAC members which includes 120,000 Treasury Board members and 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency members who have been without a contract since June 2021.
I am employed by ISC (Indigenous Services Canada) under the Program and Administrative Services. Our mandate is to work "collaboratively with partners to improve access to high quality services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
I love my job because it is helping First Nations Canadians. I am responsible for processing payments for meals and accommodations for our clients to enable them to attend medical appointments. I have established a close relationship with our vendors who provide these services over the years.
What matters most to me right now are fair wages. My pay cheque is not stretching far enough to make ends meet like many Canadians. The rising cost of living and inflation is impacting all of us. Our wage proposal of 4.5% per year works out to be an increase of less than $12.00 a day or $1.40 an hour. Whereas food inflation on groceries has been 10% for a year. I feel that an extra $100 increase on a pay cheque is a reasonable demand.
I am hopeful that negotiations are timely and provide us with a fair contract with decent wages that prevent workers from falling further behind.
Sincerely,
Katherine Crowe
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
