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Customs staff unions are demanding more employment as travel turmoil continues

Article author:

Canadian Press

Canadian news agency

Christopher Reynolds

A Canadian Border Services agent stands watch at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015.
Monitored by Canadian Border Service Agent At Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.Photo: Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press

Ontario — Federal Border Authority, Airport Traffic It's not moving fast enough to fill the staff shortage that stagnated and revived passenger frustration, says a union on behalf of customs officers.

"Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plans to resume travel as there are endless delays affecting travelers at airports and border crossings across the country. It's clear that there isn't. Customs and Immigration said in a statement on Monday.

The federal government has to deal with endless routes, flight delays, and daily turmoil at the airport. I've been struggling. This is a problem that the aviation industry, and now the union, is blaming for the shortage of federal security agencies and customs officials.

Imposing compulsory overtime and mandatory The agency's "Summer Action Plan," which suspends no training, would be equivalent to "mid-planned inadequate measures" without a long-term solution, the union said.

We are calling on the CBSA and Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino to increase the number of border guards and commit to a long-term plan to address travel delays during the labor crisis.

After the union has finished the first round of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement with Ottawa, the union's request to increase employment for 1,000 to 3,000 people has clogged the airport. And the problem of the border crossing. Increases during the peak season of travel.

The CBSA states that it is making more workers and student officers available with an additional automated kiosk in the Pearson Airport Customs area of ​​Toronto.

Earlier this month, Ottawa suspended a randomized COVID-19 test at the airport. This was a process of slowing the flow of passengers. We have also added public health staff to ensure that travelers have completed the submission of the ArriveCan app on landing.

Union President Mark Webber said the kiosk cannot make up for the significant decline in front-line airport officers since 2016.

"Our quantity is increasing every year. Summer is a season, not an emergency. The current situation is completely unpredictable and this kind of despair. I don't understand how things weren't dealt with before reaching the situation, "he said in an interview.

He said the bottleneck is widening, even though passenger numbers at land intersections and airport customs are about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels.

Land checkpoints are not exempt from delays in arriving at Canada's largest airport, and Weber added that there is "significant waiting time" at crowded intersections.

"In the busiest ports like Windsor, it's not uncommon to have a couple of hours of waiting time for a car to pass."

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