The union representing 35,000 service employees at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) voted "by an overwhelming majority" to strike this Friday, according to a statement sent to CTVNews.ca.

The Canadian Public Service Alliance (PSAC) and the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) announced at 1 p.m. that the vote was conducted between January 31 and April 7.

For his part, Chris Aylward, National President of PSAC, said in a press release: "Our members have sent a strong message to the CRA. Workers cannot wait, and we will not let workers be left behind."

Union members working at the CRA will also be in a legal strike position as of April 14, where the strike could cause delays for Canadians filing their 2022 taxes by the May 1 deadline, according to Lars Jorgensen, head of EJ Tax Service to CTV News Kitchener.

A final round of negotiations between PSAC and the CRA is scheduled from April 17 to 20.

The union's collective agreement expired on October 31, 2021, and workers are demanding "a fair compensation package, protective measures in the context of remote work access, new protections for union jobs, and new scheduling rights, including years of service protection where it exists."

In the same context, Marc Briere, National President of the Union of Taxation Employees, said: "Our members are falling further behind as inflation rises and wages are stuck in neutral. We have negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough."

PSAC is the largest public service union in Canada representing 230,000 workers across the country and employs more than 120,000 employees by the Treasury Board. The union represents crown corporations, universities, casinos, airports, community service agencies, and Indigenous communities.