Alberta civil servants are making unreasonable demands at the bargaining table, the province’s finance minister says.
Minister Nate Horner lambasted the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ push for a 26% raise over three years as “extreme.”
The union claims government employee wages have fallen behind.
Horner said the province is offering a 7.5% increase over four years.
“Given the union’s extreme wage positions, working towards a fair and reasonable settlement in a timely manner will be difficult,” Horner said in a statement.
“The Alberta government will not increase taxes or cut programs, services, or workers to give unprecedented salary increases that will result in pay well above market rates.”
Neither Albertans nor Canadians have seen a wage increase of 26%, he noted.
Horner also said the Conference Board of Canada found most working Albertans received a salary increase between 2% to 3% in 2023 and 2024. The province analyzed market wages across the country and did not find any publicly funded employees receiving the type of settlement the union is demanding, he said.
More than 22,000 union employees fall under the negotiations, including those in social services, natural resources conservation, and corrections.
In a previous update to members, the union called the government’s opening four-year offer an insult.
“There is no reason that any government worker should be unable to afford food, clothes and rent while working full time for the government of a very wealthy province,” said the union’s update in February.
Union president Guy Smith said the government has been aware of the union’s proposals since Mar. 6, and the union won’t budge.
“The cost of living has increased for everyone, and every worker has the right to fair, livable compensation from their employers,” he said.