The union representing over 9,000 employees at the Canada Border Services Agency announced that workers are set to strike on Friday if a deal is not reached with the federal government by then.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada stated that it has postponed the strike deadline to midnight Friday after extending negotiations with the Treasury Board last week.

Border workers were scheduled to start the strike as early as 4 p.m. last Friday, but shortly after the deadline, a union spokesperson said negotiations would continue.

PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa said the union "still hopes" to avoid a strike but set a strict deadline for the government to come to the table "with a fair deal."

The union warned that similar job actions three years ago nearly led to the stoppage of commercial traffic across the border and caused significant delays nationwide.

The government states that 90 percent of frontline border officers have been classified as essential, meaning they cannot stop working during the strike, but union members can work for governance, and experts say this could lead to serious slowdowns.