Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has called for an end to the ongoing workers strike at Canada Post and has launched an industrial inquiry commission that will have until May 15, 2025 to examine potential ways to reach a new contract agreement between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
The strike, which began on November 15, is in response to ongoing disputes around pay and working conditions for Canada Post employees. MacKinnon has now called on the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) determine if the CUPW and Canada Post can negotiate a tentative agreement in the very near future. If the CIRB decides they cannot reach a resolution by the end of the year, then all postal workers will be ordered to go back to work under their current contract until May 22, by when it is hoped a new agreement can be reached.
“Canadians cannot continue to bear the consequences of this impasse. Our priority is to restore postal services while ensuring a fair balance between the rights of workers, those of the employer, but also those of Canadians,” MacKinnon said. “While this provides a temporary solution, the government’s priority is to get the parties back on track to resolve the dispute and reach agreements.”
In a statement on its website, the CUPW said, “We denounce in the strongest terms this assault on our constitutionally protected right to free and fair collective bargain and our right to strike.”
The union continued, “This order continues a deeply troubling pattern in which successive federal governments have used back-to-work legislation or, in this case, its arbitrary powers to let employers off the hook from bargaining in good faith. What employer would move on anything when they know the government will bail them out? Once again, the government has chosen capital over workers by taking away our leverage to get a good deal.”
At the time of reporting, Canada Post said there was no change to the current labor situation and our operations remain closed, but it would “notify customers, employees and all Canadians as quickly as possible when it’s time for postal operations to resume”.
The operator added, “Our commitment has always been to reach negotiated agreements with CUPW that would help us better serve the changing needs of Canadians and provide good jobs to those who provide the service. We remain committed to doing so within this new process while also meeting the postal needs of Canadians.”
UPDATE
After two days of hearings, the CIRB has issued its ruling confirming the parties are at an impasse and has ordered employees to return to work and postal operations to resume at 8:00am local time on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Canada Post stated that “given the timing and duration of the strike, when our operations resume we will need to begin processing the mail and parcels trapped in our network. It will take time to clear our network, so customers should expect delays in processing and delivery.”
Some limitations will apply for the first 48 hours after operations resume – including for pickups and drop-offs – and the post confirmed it will not receive or pick up new product until Thursday, December 19.
For more information on the announcement, click here.