Government employees want pay hikes. Here's what other unionized workers got recently

As the tense wage-centred labour battle between the federal government and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continues, federal data sheds light on which industries in both the public and private sector are driving wage increases. 

Data collected and published by Employment and Social Development Canada suggests unonized workers in public administration and manufacturing have recently received higher wage increases compared to other industries.

In 2022, unionized workers in public administration negotiated an average 3.8 per cent annual pay bump, the highest amount except for those in manufacturing, which saw an average 4.2 per cent hike. 

Many PSAC workers in negotiations with the federal government fall under public administration, however others represent a range of industries.

But when looking at these figures, Adam King, post-doctoral fellow at York University, cautioned that annual data is based on just a small number of contracts. In the case of manufacturing, there were just four contracts signed in 2022, all in Quebec, where union coverage is generally higher. There were three public administration contracts in 2022, in Alberta and B.C.

"Over time, union coverage has declined significantly," he said.

This data also concentrates on wage changes among just unionized workers. Labour Force Survey data from Statistics Canada shows hourly wages among union workers have increased nine per cent between 2019 and 2022, while non-unionized workers saw a 14 per cent hike, unadjusted for inflation.

"This is due to workers not having cost of living adjustments in their agreements and being hurt by the unexpectedly high inflation," said Jesse Hajer, assistant professor in the University of Manitoba's department of economics and labour studies program.

WATCH | PSAC announces its strike:

Federal public servants across Canada to go on strike

2 years ago

Duration 2:06

More than 155,000 federal public servants are on strike after PSAC and the government failed to reach a deal before a Tuesday deadline.

PSAC is demanding a 4.5 per cent raise each year for 2021, 2022 and 2023. The latest offer published by the government indicates it is offering a 1.5 per cent raise for 2021, 4.5 per cent for 2022 and three per cent for 2023.