Federal public servants who are members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) will go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after failing to reach an agreement with Treasury Board on Tuesday.
The union announced Monday that it would go on strike at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday if no agreement was reached by 9 p.m. Tuesday.
In a very brief press briefing, PSAC National President Chris Aylward confirmed that no agreement has been reached, so the strike will go ahead.
However, the union will remain at the negotiating table in the hope of finding a last-minute agreement.
The large pan-Canadian union represents 120,000 federal public servants working in the various departments and 35,000 union members at the Canada Revenue Agency who are directly affected by this walkout.
During the strike, essential services will be provided, including border services and correctional services, the Alliance has already indicated.
The Treasury Board Secretariat has also clarified that Employment Insurance benefits will continue to be paid, as will Veterans Income Support, Old Age Security benefits and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, as well as than Canada Pension Plan payments.
However, several services to the public will be affected, such as passports, immigration, tax returns and various customer services. Similarly, the wait on the phone will be longer than usual, warned the PSAC.