After all-night negotiations between unions representing nearly 9,000 employees of the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSC) and the Treasury Board ended in a stalemate over a new contract, border service officers have begun work-to-rule actions.
Representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and its Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) confirmed on Twitter early on Friday that the job action had begun, reports CTV News Canada.
“Our FB bargaining team has been at the table all night, and we’re giving them a bit more time to negotiate,” the union said on Friday. “In the meantime, work-to-rule actions have started across the country. We’ll provide an update as soon as possible.”
Union members, which include border service officers at airports, land entry points, marine ports and commercial ports of entry, inland enforcement officers, intelligence officers, investigators, trade officers, hearings officers, and non-uniformed members have been without a contract since June 2018.
Any strike action will also hit international mail and parcel deliveries from Canada Post and other major shipping companies, and disrupt the collection of duties and taxes on goods entering Canada.
According to CBC Canada, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board Secretariat said that negotiations are still ongoing and the government “is still at the table and will not walk away.”
President of the Treasury Board Jean-Yves Duclos tweeted Friday morning that he is “proud of the work of our negotiating team, adding, “They’ve been at the table all night and we’re still hoping to come to an agreement that is fair and reasonable.”
What is a “Work-to-rule” action?
Basically, a work-to-rule job action means that employees will do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract, and precisely follow all safety or other regulations.
Yes, the unions are still on strike, but being that the Canadian Border Service Agency has deemed 90 percent of Border Service employees as being “essential,” the employees will come to work.
Using the work-to-rule action, employees will longer work during breaks or during unpaid extended hours and weekends. This will cause delays, sometimes even extended delays, especially at border crossings. Travelers can also expect long lineups and delays at airports.
