OTTAWA -- More than 2,000 cybersecurity workers have voted to strike at Canada's Communications Security Establishment.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the strike vote came after management continued "insisting on a deal-breaking concession" and declined the union's offer to send the dispute to third-party binding arbitration.

PSAC says the concession being pushed by management would result in workers at the Communications Security Establishment receiving lower wage increases than those negotiated by other federal public sector workers.

The union says the main issue is Market Allowance, which is negotiated to close wage gaps with workers doing similar work elsewhere in the public service, as well as the private sector.

"For many workers, the Market Allowance amounts to as much as 10 per cent of annual income and foregoing economic increases on them would mean a significant monetary loss," said PSAC in a statement. "In tangible terms, these workers would receive wage increases on only 90 per cent of their salaries, translating to raises of approximately 5.8 per cent over three years versus the nearly 6.5 per cent negotiated by other federal public sector workers for the same period."

The unionized workers have been without a contract since February 2019.

PSAC says the workers "perform vital work protecting Canada from foreign cyberattacks," including the hacking attempt on Canada's COVID-19 vaccine research."