Government workers in nine Quebec cities held demonstrations on Saturday to denounce the failures of the federal government’s pay system.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Quebec Region rallied in front of the offices of several MPs and cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Issues with the Phoenix payment system have resulted in tens of thousands of civil servants receiving faulty payments, or not being paid at all.
PSAC-Quebec VP Magalie Picard said the workers want to send a message to the government that the system must be fixed.
“We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Picard. “We are extremely frustrated. Imagine going to work and not having a pay cheque every two weeks. It’s unacceptable and even unbelievable in 2017.”
Picard called government action “timid” and questioned the government’s “stubbornness” in sticking with the Phoenix system.
“RCMP officers and members of parliament have another pay system that’s going very well,” she said.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced the creation of a task force to address the failures of the federal public service payroll system. The task force will be chaired by Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale and will be responsible for stabilizing the Phoenix system.
Still, Picard said she and her colleagues remain skeptical.
“It’s been more than a year since the problems became known,” she said. “I really look forward to knowing who is accountable.”
