Striking public servants block access to government buildings and key infrastructure

Striking federal workers made good on a promise to ramp up their picket efforts this morning disrupting traffic and limiting access to office buildings in downtown Ottawa.

Striking federal workers made good on a promise to ramp up their picket efforts this morning disrupting traffic and limiting access to office buildings in downtown Ottawa.

More than 150,000 federal public servants with the Public Service Alliance of Canada are on strike for the seventh straight day as their union representatives continue to negotiate with the government for a bigger wage increase and more flexibility to work remotely.

Around the national capital region hundreds of picketers are making their presence felt and heard, circling different buildings, chanting through megaphones and blasting music.

Outside the Prime Minister's Office building and the Treasury Board headquarters a few blocks away, strikers limited entry to just one person every five minutes.

Another group blocked cars on a bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., where some of the biggest federal buildings are located.

Picket signs held high in the air reflected the major sticking points Treasury Board President Mona Fortier identified Monday including wages and the concerns among public servants about an increase in the government's use of outside contractors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2023.