Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) leadership says all workers in a legal strike position will strike Wednesday if they don’t reach an agreement by 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Its bargaining groups — one of about 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers, the other of about 120,000 staff spread across more than 20 departments and agencies — each moved into legal strike positions last week after strike votes.

With essential workers factored out, PSAC said more than 100,000 workers could walk off the job across Canada, affecting a range of services.

National PSAC president Chris Aylward said in a Monday morning news conference that the union and the government have made “some progress” over the last two weeks but are still too far apart on key issues such as wages, job security and remote work.

He said it’s setting the deadline because it’s taking too long to reach a deal. These contracts expired in 2021.

The federal government has communicated, and did again in a Monday statement from the Treasury Board, it is seeking “agreements that are fair to public servants and reasonable for taxpayers.”

“We have a good offer on the table, and there is enough common ground to reach consensus on renewed collective agreements for our employees,” it said of its talks with that larger group of PSAC workers known as the Treasury Board unit.

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