Canada Post strike talks suspended as parties 'remain too far apart'
Mediation between Canada Post and its postal workers has been temporarily suspended by the special federal mediator, as the parties “remain too far apart,” the federal labour minister said Wednesday as the nationwide mail strike reaches its thirteenth day.
Minister Steven MacKinnon said the pause in mediation will hopefully permit the parties to reassess their positions and return to the bargaining table with renewed resolve.
“After several intensive days of negotiation, (the special federal mediator’s) assessment is that parties remain too far apart on critical issues for mediation to be successful at this time,” MacKinnon said in a post on X.com.
MacKinnon said he has requested that both parties meet at his office on Wednesday to be told that they alone are responsible for the consequences of the conflict, indicating that the federal government will not intervene in the labour dispute, stopping short of introducing back-to-work legislation.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, MacKinnon said sending the matter to binding arbitration “is not in the cards,” even though he invoked that authority to resolve a ports dispute and rail dispute in recent months.
“Every dispute is different, but here the issues are fundamental. The issues are around a transformed business model for the corporation,” MacKinnon said in French.
Approximately 55,000 postal workers hit the picket lines after years-long failed negotiations between Canada Post Corp. and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
The strike, which started Nov. 15, has so far affected nearly 10 million parcels since it began, Canada Post said. That number is expected to rise with Black Friday sales and the busy holiday season now underway.
On Nov. 27, Canada Post said
Read more on financialpost.com
