Will striking Canada Post employees be forced back to work? The latest from both sides of the negotiating table
We are now on day six of the nationwide mail strike, after year-long negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) failed last week and 55,000 postal workers hit the picket lines — just ahead of Black Friday and the busy holiday season. Here’s the latest on the ongoing talks and the strike’s impact on Canada Post customers.
The dispute centres on wages, pensions, and medical leave, as well as Canada Post’s plan to offer seven-day parcel delivery, which the CUPW opposes on the grounds that it opens the door to contract workers. On wages, the two sides seem to be far apart. Management has proposed an 11.5 per cent wage increase over four years, while the union is asking for 24 per cent cumulative over the same time period.
The union has accused the corporation of failing to negotiate in good faith, stating that “Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs.” Jon Hamilton, Canada Post’s vice-president of strategic communications and stakeholder engagement, explained, “We need to make changes to our delivery model to bring some flexibility in so we can be more competitive and grow our parcel business.”
Jan Simpson, CUPW’s national president, acknowledged that Canada Post has had the ability to offer seven-day delivery since 2018 and says the service was previously in operation in Montreal. However, she criticized the corporation’s cost-cutting measures, which include replacing full-time workers with part-time staff earning lower wages and benefits. “For us, we try to create and keep good, full-time jobs,” she said, emphasizing the union’s goal of maintaining quality employment opportunities for future generations.
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