Canada Post workers give 72-hour notice to strike as company warns of
The union representing Canada Post workers said it will be in a legal strike position on Friday, as the Crown corporation warns that a potential strike will further impact its already dire financial situation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said in a statement early Tuesday that its executive board was giving the required 72-hours notice for both its rural and urban mail carrier bargaining units.
The union said despite talks that began almost exactly a year ago on Nov. 15, 2023, “the parties remain far apart on many issues,” including wage increases, pensions and medical leave.
CUPW was in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3, after a legally mandated cooling-off period. In a vote last month, more than 95 per cent of both urban and rural workers backed a strike mandate, the union has said.
The union representing Canada Post workers said it will be in a legal strike position on Friday. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said that despite talks that began Nov. 15, 2023, ‘the parties remain far apart on many issues,’ including wage increases, pensions and medical leave.
The union said in a Tuesday statement it hasn’t decided if a job action will take place immediately, saying it “will depend on Canada Post’s actions at the bargaining table in the days to come.”
A spokesperson for Canada Post confirmed to CBC News that the company had issued a formal lockout notice to the union, adding that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday.
The company has no intention of ceasing its operations, the spokesperson said. “Instead, the Corporation is using the means under this section of the Canada Labour Code to adjust operations based on its operational realities and business needs.”
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon told CBC News on Tuesday that the government is offering “mediation support” in the talks.
“We are hoping to achieve a deal at the table. The issues at hand in the Canada Post negotiations are substantial,” the minister said.
“We will make every effort possible to keep them at the table and keep them talking, and we hope to achieve a negotiated settlement there.”
$3 billion in losses since 2018
Canada Post has said in recent strike-related statements that it’s at a “critical juncture” and that its “deteriorating financial situation could require the company to revisit its proposals.”
It said on Tuesday that some retailers had already switched service providers in anticipation of a strike, and the volume of mail and parcels were down significantly ahead of the busy holiday period.
The Crown corporation recently proposed annual wage increases amounting to 11.5 per cent over four years and has said it wants to negotiate “a more flexible and affordable delivery model” that would include parcel delivery seven days a week.
Canada Post said in a recent news…
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