The Canadian Border Employees Union announced Friday afternoon that the initiation of pressure tactics is suspended and that mediation with the employer will continue until Wednesday.
The more than 9,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) who work for the Canada Border Services Agency announced that they would go on strike at 4:00 p.m. on Friday if the process mediation did not allow an agreement to be reached.
“All strike action by 9,000 CBSA employees is suspended, as mediation will continue [jusqu’à] Wednesday. Pickets will not be in place until further notice. Stay tuned for more details,” the union finally announced in a press release shortly after 4:00 p.m.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat responded in a press release on Friday, affirming that the Government of Canada was pleased that the PSAC remained at the negotiating table. “Discussions to date have been productive and we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair and reasonable for the members of the Border Services group as quickly as possible,” the press release said.
The two parties have been in mediation since Monday.
The union says key issues include pay parity with other law enforcement agencies, teleworking, retirement benefits and enhanced workplace protections.
The government maintains that 90% of front-line border agents are designated essential, meaning they cannot stop working during a strike.
But union members might resort to over-zealing, a tactic in which employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts.
Experts estimate that this could make each border crossing take longer than normal and thus cause massive disruption to traffic.