'In these uncertain economic times, now is definitely not the time to cut jobs,' says union
Nearly 1,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) have learned that their contracts will not be renewed.
On May 1 — marked globally as International Workers’ Day — CRA advised employees in contact centres across the country that their contracts will expire on May 16 and will not be extended, according to the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE).
This marks the second consecutive year the CRA has made such an announcement on the same date. On May 1, 2024, the agency informed approximately 2,000 UTE members working in contact centres that their contracts, set to expire on May 10, would not be renewed, the union said.
The UTE "condemns" the latest round of job losses "in the strongest possible terms," said Marc Brière, national president of the UTE.
In November 2024, CBC reported that the CRA was laying off about 580 temporary workers.
The CRA layoffs will have a “direct impact on the quality of the services” that the CRA is supposed to provide to the public, said Brière.
“Fewer staff in Contact Centres means longer wait times, slower services, and growing frustration among taxpayers and businesses. Those who remain in their positions will have to take on an increased workload in an already extremely high stress climate. Morale is in free fall. The mental health of our members is severely shaken.”
The union is calling on the federal government to put a stop to the layoffs.
“In these uncertain economic times, now is definitely not the time to cut jobs,” said Brière. “The work our members do at the CRA is very important and helps maintain the social programs that Canadians can rely on. We demand an end to contempt, an end to the erosion of the workforce, an end to the precariousness of work.”
As of the time of writing, HRD Canada has not seen any public statement from the federal government about the CRA layoffs.
The CRA previously fired nearly 300 employees for inappropriately claiming payments from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
In January, several unions called on the federal government to reconsider its plan to lay off thousands of workers at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as the country faces numerous issues.
Stellantis, Dell and Siemens have also previously announced mass layoffs.
