Striking military base workers took protest to Parliament with no arrests

Unionized military base workers' protest at north side of Bank Street and Wellington Street at the Parliament parking entrance on Wednesday ended with no arrests. (Natalie van Rooy/ CTV News Ottawa)

Unionized military base workers' protest at north side of Bank Street and Wellington Street at the Parliament parking entrance on Wednesday ended with no arrests.

Non-public funds workers at Canadian military bases in Ontario and Quebec walked off the job last month, demanding fair wages, a national pay grid for all non-public funds workers in Canada and better job security.

“Now in week five of the strike, and under escalating pressure and intimidation from the employer and police, and the increasing use of replacement workers, civilian military workers recently held targeted actions at the Joint Intelligence Operations Centre in Ottawa, St-Jean Garrison outside Montreal, and Denison Armoury Drill Hall in Toronto,” said the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing the striking workers in a news release on Tuesday.

This comes one week after PSAC’s regional union executive – Alex Silas – was arrested during a protest -- when workers blocked Star Top Road in east Ottawa.

Canadian Labour Congress executive vice-president Larry Rousseau told CTV News Ottawa that Silas's arrest is unacceptable.

"He is a labour leader in this city. He is leading this strike and for him to be detained or to be arrested is absolutely unacceptable," Rousseau said.

Late Wednesday afternoon, several people rallied outside Ottawa police headquarters on Elgin Street, calling for Silas's release. Silas posted on Instagram last Wednesday night that he had been released.

"Thank you to everyone who reached out with messages of support and to everyone who came out to rally for my release," Silas said.

"There will be a lot more to say but for now I’m just happy to be home."

On Thursday, police said Silas had been charged with mischief, causing a disturbance by impeding, intimidation by blocking or obstructing the roadway, and counsel an uncommitted indictable offence.

The union says Non-Public Funds employees are paid significantly less than workers doing similar jobs in the core federal public service, and they have been without a contract since 2022.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond and The Canadian Press