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The federal government and its largest union have reached a tentative four-year deal that will boost employees’ pay more than 5.5 per cent and keeps the existing sick leave regime while a task force tries to negotiate a new one.

The deal, reached with the Public Service Alliance of Canada Saturday after a six-day bargaining session with a mediator, would boost paycheques of 68,000 public servants working in program and administrative services throughout government and give them a $650 signing bonus once it is ratified by the rank and file.

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The proposed contract will increase base salaries by 1.25 per cent in each year, retroactive to June 2014. The government also agreed to an extra 0.5 per cent “market adjustment” increase for 2016.

But the big breakthrough was on sick leave, the hot-button issue that has stalled bargaining for more than two years. The deal only covers the largest of the five bargaining groups represented by PSAC, but sick leave is the big common issue.