Foreign service union starts job action over wage parity, warns of strike action

OTTAWA – Canada’s union of foreign service officers has embarked on job action after the 1,350-member union declared it was in a legal strike position.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers, which includes more than 600 Canadian diplomats in overseas missions, has been without a contract since mid-2011 and wants pay equity with other public servants.

The union wants to force Treasury Board back to the bargaining table, so it can address a core grievance — that its members are paid $10,000 to $14,000 less than their counterparts who do similar work in other federal departments.

The union’s president says the work-to-rule measures will start small but could evolve into a strike.

A spokeswoman for Treasury Board Secretary Tony Clement says foreign service jobs are highly sought and well-paid, and the government wants a settlement that is fair to both workers and taxpayers.

The potential labour unrest comes as Canada tries to finalize a free-trade deal with Europe and seeks to expand markets in Asia and the Middle East.