A third of federal workers are on strike in Canada

Ottawa CNN --

In one of the biggest strikes in Canadian history, nearly a third (33%) of federal workers in Canada walked out of work on Wednesday morning.

The union that represents more than 155,000 employees of the government has called a nationwide strike in order to demand higher wages and clarification on work-from-home provisions, amongst other issues.

Canadians should expect service disruptions, such as passport applications and taxes. All essential services will continue to operate.

Negotiators from the government and union are still at bargaining tables. In a late-Tuesday statement, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union that represents government workers, stated it had "exhausted all other avenues to reach a fair agreement".

Chris Aylward said in a PSAC statement that workers needed fair wages, decent working conditions, and inclusive workplaces more than ever. It's obvious that the only way to achieve this is through strike action, which will show the government workers are not waiting.

The Canadian government responded late Tuesday with a press release saying that they had an offer fair and competitive on the table, which included a 9% increase in wages over three years as well as proposals for remote work and better family leave. The government, however, claimed that the union's demands were 'unaffordable.' This would affect the government's capability to provide services to Canadians.

Canada's government issued a statement saying that it had done all it could to avoid disruption of services for Canadians. The Public Service Alliance of Canada has announced a nationwide general strike despite ongoing negotiations between the two sides on important issues.

Early Wednesday morning, picket lines appeared across the country as expected negotiations continued.

Workers are increasingly frustrated by the rising inflation. Recently, nationwide strikes have shut down service across France, Germany and the United Kingdom.