Canadian federal workers have launched the largest strike in decades

More than 155,000 federal workers in Canada have gone on strike, the largest such action in the country in more than three decades.

The strike comes after the federal trade union failed to reach an agreement with the government on issues related to wages and working from home.

This is expected to affect many government services, from tax returns to passport renewals.

The strike also means a potential slowdown at airports and border crossings.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing Canada’s federal workers, began its strike at midnight local time early Wednesday, sending a third of public sector workers to the picket line.

The union said it had “exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract” with government negotiators. It added that an “overwhelming majority” of its members voted in favor of authorizing the strike.

Contract talks are still at the negotiating table, and federal workers have demanded a series of wage bumps to keep up with the soaring rate of inflation.

The talks cover two major groups of federal workers — the 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board of Canada and the roughly 35,000 workers at the tax agency.

The government offered a 9% wage increase over three years, but the union asked for a higher increase in the same period.

The tax officials initially sought a salary increase of more than 30% over three years, while the other group sought a salary increase of 13.5% over the same period.

The union has also pushed for an agreement on remote work to be cemented, despite a recent mandate from the Treasury Board that required public employees to return to the office at least two days a week.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the government said it had done “everything it could to reach an agreement and avoid disruption to the services Canadians depend on.”

This includes proposals for working from home, improved paid family leave, and measures to support diversity and inclusion in the public sector.

“Although a competitive deal is on the table, PSAC continues to insist on unsustainable demands that will severely affect the government’s ability to provide services to Canadians,” the government said.

If the strike continues, its impact could be felt by Canadians across the country, as well as those looking to enter or immigrate to Canada.

Immigration and passport applications can be expected to experience backlogs and delays as a result of legal work processes.

The Canada Revenue Agency, which oversees taxes, will also face delays ahead of the April 30 national deadline for annual income tax returns.

A slowdown is also expected at the Canadian border, where among the striking workers are employees from the Canada Border Agency.

The last federal strike of this magnitude occurred in 1991. At the time, legal action delayed grain shipments, flights, and cross-border travel.

Then federal employees went back to work after the Canadian government introduced mandatory back-to-work legislation.