Labor Actions End; Diplomatic Posts Resume Full Operations
September 27, 2013
Canadian diplomatic posts are expected to resume full operations now that the Canadian government and the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers have reached a tentative deal to end their long-running labor dispute.
Though staffing will return to normal at Canadian visa application centers abroad once the union ratifies the deal, processing delays will continue in the near term due to backlogs that developed during the strike.
Kumar, yes the strike has ended after PAFSO reached temporary contract agreement with the Federal Government. This contract replaces the contract which expired in 2011. However, this is temporary contract which will expire in 2014 and then new negotiations will begin. They are hopping the new negotiations will not lead to another strike in 2014. You can read more about this on the PAFSO facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pafso.apase
This is a quote from the PAFSO facebook page: “The contract that was just signed replaced one that expired in 2011. We will be due for a new one in June 2014 and will start negotiations again in about six months. Hopefully things will go more smoothly and we will not find ourselves in a strike position again.“
So if you are going through spouse sponsorship or any process which may take over a year, keep in mind that this strike can come back next year.
