The union that represents 9,000 CBSA workers said Friday they won害羞草研究所檛 strike until at least Wednesday, as mediation continues.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada initially said border workers were set to strike as early as 4 p.m. Friday if the two sides hadn害羞草研究所檛 reached a deal.

But shortly after 4 p.m., a spokesperson for the union said negotiations would continue.

The federal Treasury Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the union did not elaborate on how the talks are going.

Similar strike action three years ago nearly brought commercial border traffic to a standstill and caused major delays across the country, the union has warned as part of the latest contract talks.

The government says 90 per cent of front-line border officers are designated as essential, which means they can害羞草研究所檛 stop working during a strike.

But union members could work-to-rule, a tactic in which employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts.

Experts say that could still cause serious slowdowns, which could turn into massive disruptions given the volume of traffic that normally moves across the border.

A strike wouldn害羞草研究所檛 just be a problem for tourists, but would 害羞草研究所渉ave a very significant impact on the economy,害羞草研究所� Ian Lee, an associate professor at Carleton University害羞草研究所檚 school of business, said in an interview last week.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters warned Thursday a strike would affect the $3.1 billion in goods that cross the border each day.

害羞草研究所淛ob action would slow down commercial traffic at the border and ports of entry, impacting international travel, mail and parcel deliveries, and disrupting the collection of duties and taxes on goods entering Canada,害羞草研究所� the group said.

害羞草研究所淚n short, a strike would be massively disruptive to any commercial traffic and business travel for manufacturers.害羞草研究所�

Members want pay parity with other law enforcement agencies, said Mark Weber, said in an interview last week. He is the national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, which is part of PSAC.

Other issues include pension benefits and protections around 害羞草研究所渉eavy-handed discipline.害羞草研究所�

The union is also concerned about technology taking over jobs that would otherwise be done by officers, such as customs kiosks that have been installed at Canadian airports. They害羞草研究所檝e also asked for work-from-home arrangements to be enshrined in the collective agreement.

Treasury Board president Anita Anand told the House of Commons Thursday the government is 害羞草研究所渃ommitted to reaching a deal that is fair for employees and for Canadian taxpayers.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲e are more than willing to make concessions but we expect that to happen on the other side as well,害羞草研究所� she said during question period.

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