The union representing striking federal public service workers is preparing to ramp up strike action on Monday.
More than 155,000 Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency workers are entering their sixth day on the picket line.
But there is some optimism from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) that a deal could be reached soon.
“We made some progress in the end, but we’re not there yet,” PSAC president Chris Aylward said in a news release on Sunday.
Aylward said the union has made headway on remote work language and wage increases for Treasury Board workers.
But not as much progress has been made for Canada Revenue Agency workers, he said in the release.
“At the CRA bargaining table, talks continue but without a new mandate from the employer, things haven’t moved much further,” said Aylward.
“Tomorrow [Monday] we’re going to escalate our actions.”
Over the last several days, striking workers had been picketing at more than 250 locations across the country.
Workers walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday after failing to reach a tentative agreement with the employer before a self-imposed deadline hours earlier.
The strike impacts 120,000 members of the Treasury Board and 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency employees. About 46,000 Treasury Board and 1,400 Canada Revenue Agency workers have been deemed essential.
PSAC said this is one of the largest strikes in Canada’s history, with nearly one-third of all federal public service workers on strike.
The strike action is impacting the tax season, along with employment insurance, immigration and passport applications, among other things.
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