Union representing Canadian, Mississauga Pearson border agents moves strike deadline to midnight Friday

The union representing more than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency employees, including those at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, says workers are set to strike on Friday if a deal is not reached with the federal government by then.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says it has moved its strike deadline to this Friday at 12:01 a.m. after extending negotiations with the Treasury Board last week.

Border workers were set to strike as early as 4 p.m. last Friday, but shortly after that deadline, a spokesperson for the union said negotiations would continue.

“We are still hopeful we can avoid a strike and potential disruptions at Canada’s borders,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC’s national president, in a statement.

“No worker wants a strike, but we’ve set a firm deadline for this government to come to the table with a fair agreement.”

The union has warned that similar job 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 can work-to-rule, and experts say that could cause serious slowdowns.

— this report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2024