Trudeau braces for disruptive strikes amid tough union wage push

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is staring down one of the biggest strikes in Canadian history as his government's workers push for higher wages even as inflation eases.

The country's main federal-employee union will wrap up voting in April on whether to go ahead with a national strike that could see as many as 165,000 workers withdraw their services. Such a work stoppage would delay tax return processing as well as interrupt service at airports and border crossings.

The looming strike comes amid a slowdown in inflation in recent months, but workers are unbending in their demands to recoup purchasing power lost over the past two years. That's adding additional wage pressures to an already overheated job market, and squeezing employers ahead of an expected economic downturn this year. 

“Workers are completely frustrated of being left behind. We've got to fight back if we want to achieve a fair and decent wage increase,” Chris Aylward, president of Public Service Alliance of Canada, said in a phone interview. “Early indication is that the frustration is going to project into a strong strike mandate.”