Toronto: The Canadian government has reached a tentative agreement with the union that represents Canada’s border agents just days before the Canada Border Services Agency is to begin easing COVID-19 travel restrictions on fully vaccinated U.S. citizens.
The deal late Friday comes after a daylong work-to-rule campaign that spawned long lineups at the country’s busiest border crossing points.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Customs and Immigration Union, which represents some 9,000 CBSA employees, had been without a long-term contract since 2018.
About 90% of front-line border workers are classified as essential employees, a designation that prevents them from walking off the job.
Instead, the union launched a broad series of job actions early today at Canadian airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, postal facilities and office locations.