Nearly 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers are prepared to begin job action on Friday at 6 a.m. unless a new contract is negotiated.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) said they served strike notice to the government on Tuesday.
The unions warn of lengthy delays at border crossings and airports for travellers and commercial traffic entering Canada.
“We truly hoped we wouldn’t be forced to take strike action, but we’ve exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract with the government,” said Chris Aylward, Public Service Alliance of Canada national president in a news release.
Work-to-rule strike activity will affect all Canadian airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, postal facilities and headquarters locations.
The move will cause disruptions at the border as Canada prepares to welcome travellers from the U.S. on August 9.
Unionized employees with PSAC have been without a contract for over three years.
Employees seek better protections against a toxic workplace culture and greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada.
