TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2021) Canadian border agents and staff could begin job action as of Friday after talks with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Treasury board broke down, unions representing nearly 9,000 employees said on Wednesday.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) served the government of Canada a strike notice on Tuesday, according to a joint statement from the trade organizations, citing the lack of redress for "toxic" working conditions and the absence of contracts for unionized workers for over three years.
"We truly hoped we wouldn't be forced to take strike action, but we've exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract with the government," PSAC President Chris Aylward said in a statement. "Treasury Board and CBSA have been clear they aren't prepared to address critical workplace issues at CBSA at the bargaining table."
Throughout the potential strike, border services employees will be operating on a work-to-rule basis - only carrying out duties they were trained and mandated to do - at all Canadian airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, postal facilities and headquarters locations.
The statement warned travelers to brace for long lineups and lengthy delays beginning on Friday, which could be accentuated by the influx of Americans, who will be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary purposes as of August 9.
The two sides will return to the negotiating table on August 6, however, should a deal not be reached quickly, striking action will begin at 6:00 a.m. local time (10 a.m. GMT).
