The largest federal union intends to make the Trudeau government pay for more than two years of Phoenix and its pay foul-ups.

Chris Aylward, the new president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said the union is gearing up for a new round of collective bargaining to reach a “fair deal” that recognizes public servants continued to go to work despite the hardship of more than two years of botched pay.

“We want to put pressure on the government during this round to ensure our members get compensated at the bargaining table for the Phoenix fiasco,” said Aylward.

He said bargaining will be underway within weeks and PSAC plans to turn up the pressure for wage increases that will make up for the uncertainty and frustrations of the pay crisis that has gripped government since the error-prone Phoenix pay system went live in 2016.

PSAC led the charge among federal unions to stop or at least delay the Phoenix rollout. It has split blame for the fiasco: the Conservatives for implementing the new system, and the Liberals for going live with it.

The union is banking that the Trudeau government, which was elected with the promise to restore trust and respect for the public service, will want labour peace and settlements with its employees when it hits the campaign trail for the 2019 election.

“We know that by putting pressure on them — knowing there is a federal election coming next year — that they will not want to be anywhere near a bargaining table going into an election,” said Alyward. “And we can achieve that if they come to the table with the demands our members need and want.”

The agreement PSAC will be seeking at the bargaining table is separate from the damages the 17 federal unions are seeking in negotiations with senior management that have been quietly unfolding behind the scenes for months.

Unions had hoped a settlement on damages would have been reached by now.

Many argue contract negotiations would also be much easier if the government and unions had already settled the issue of damages. Trying to negotiate a new contract against the backdrop of damages will be highly complicated and contentious, and could delay reaching a contract.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the second largest union, has yet to file notice to bargain. It has agreed to a ‘protocol’ for this round so negotiations are more efficient and don’t drag on for years like the last round did.

PIPSC President Deb Daviau said the union will be seeking damages for “losses and other pain and suffering” caused by Phoenix, but not at the bargaining table.

Daviau said that if the government wants to rush a deal to take pressure off Phoenix or make them “jump through fiery hoops” then Ottawa will have to pay for that in a contract settlement.

She also said the union will be looking for a “fair deal” at the bargaining table, as well as a separately negotiated deal for damages.

“We want a fair deal and I don’t think we should have to fight at the bargaining table to be compensated for pain and suffering caused by Phoenix,” she said.

Aside from labour peace, the government would also like new contract deals settled and signed quickly so that Phoenix isn’t swamped with 27 collective agreements to implement — and the thousands of retroactive payments that Phoenix processes badly.

The groundwork for the next round of bargaining is being laid as Public Services and Procurement Canada, the federal paymaster and department responsible for Phoenix, is still struggling to implement collective agreements that were negotiated in the last round of bargaining. Those contracts, retroactive to 2014, will start to expire in June.

PSAC was recently informed that thousands of its members covered by its largest contract won’t know for sure whether they have been paid the raises and back pay owed to them until June 2019. That contract was negotiated in late 2016; signed last June; and had a November deadline for implementation. It goes back to 2014.

The unions’ frustrations to pin the government down on when Phoenix will be fixed — meaning public servants paid correctly and on time — has also spilled over into the morale of the workforce.

Aylward said the biggest challenge he faces is mobilizing PSAC members, many of whom are “disenfranchised” because of the prolonged pay crisis. Unions have taken been front-and-centre in the push to fix and stabilize Phoenix but for workers, their pay problems are still not fixed and new ones keep cropping up.

“We have to get them to meetings and rallies and get out and engage with them one-on-one” said Aylward.

“They are disenfranchised because of Phoenix …we have to reassure them we are doing all we can and we can only be as strong as they are when we go confront the government.”

Mobilization will be key to implementing the sweeping Phoenix resolution that delegates unanimously passed at PSAC’s convention last week. It includes a series of measures aimed at cranking up the pressure to resolve the Phoenix disaster and hold the government accountable for the thousands of public servants who have been overpaid, underpaid or not paid at all.

The union has also threatened to campaign against the Liberals in next year’s federal election — as it did against the Conservatives in the last election — if pay issues aren’t resolved.

Auditor-General Michael Ferguson’s much-awaited second report into Phoenix and how it went off the rails is also expected this month. That report will be another black eye for government and how it manages — which some say could further strengthen unions hand for damages and at the bargaining table.

PSAC has its first bargaining meeting with Treasury Board later this month. Four other unions have also issued formal notices to Treasury Board to start bargaining: Federal Government Dockyard Changehands Association; Unifor; Canadian Association of Professional Employees and The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.