Strike for Canadian border workers on hold until Wednesday: union

By The Canadian Press on June 7, 2024.

OTTAWA – The union that represents 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers says they won’t strike until at least Wednesday, as mediation continues.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada initially said border workers were set to strike as early as 4 p.m. Friday if they hadn’t reached a deal, but have decided to extend negotiations.

The union says similar strike action three years ago nearly brought commercial border traffic to a standstill and caused major delays across the country.

The government says 90 per cent of front-line border officers are designated as essential, which means they can’t stop working during a strike.

But union members could work-to-rule, a tactic where employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts.

Experts say that could still cause serious slowdowns, which could turn into massive disruptions given the volume of traffic that normally moves across the border.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2024.

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