More than 9,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) will begin job action across the country starting June 14 at 12:01 a.m. ET if an agreement is not reached at the table with Canada Border Services Agency and Treasury Board.
Job action was postponed Friday, June 7 after mediation talks were extended to reach an agreement.
“We are still hopeful we can avoid a strike and potential disruptions at Canada’s borders,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President.” No worker wants a strike, but we’ve set a firm deadline for this government to come to the table with a fair agreement.”
Workers at CBSA represented by PSAC-Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) have been without a contract for over two years. They include border services officers at airports, land entry points, marine ports, and commercial ports of entry, inland enforcement officers, intelligence officers, investigators, trade officers, and more than 2,000 non-uniformed headquarters staff.
Job action by CBSA personnel in 2021 nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing major delays at airports and borders across the country and a marathon 36-hour bargaining session to reach an agreement.
“Our members have overwhelmingly told us they are ready to fight for equitable retirement, fair wages and to make CBSA a better place to work,” said Mark Weber, CIU National President. “Now it’s time for the government to deliver a fair contract for CBSA employees.”
The two sides remain in negotiations this week with the assistance of a mediator. Due to the sensitive nature of ongoing negotiations, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union will not be providing media interviews during mediation.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
