Via Rail narrowly avoided the possibility of an immediate service suspension across Canada after extending the strike deadline until Monday afternoon.

Unifor issued a 72-hour strike notice to the national railway company on Friday, indicating that 2,400 employees were prepared to walk off the job if a new contract could not be negotiated by 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

The strike would see maintenance workers, onboard service staff, cooks, sales agents, and customer service employees all walking the picket line, forcing Via to temporarily halt services nationwide.

However, Unifor released a statement on its website and social media, saying the strike deadline has been extended until 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday.

The Unifor national treasurer said in a statement Sunday evening that its bargaining committees remain "steadfast" in seeking a deal that "respects and values" the workers.

Unifor said job security was the primary issue on the table during the labor negotiations.

Early Monday morning, Via Rail issued its own statement, saying it is committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement.

President and CEO Martin R. Landry also noted that with the summer travel season here, the strike threat has created additional pressure on the company’s passengers and the communities it serves.

Via also promised to allow customers to make changes to their travel plans without service fees for any trips departing before July 31, 2022.