Canada Post asked the federal government to vote on the Canadian Postal Workers’ Union (CUPW) proposal to open the latest contract proposal for federal mail carriers.
The postal operator urged the Minister of Work and Family to direct the Canadian Labor Relations Commission to vote on the final proposal submitted to the union on Wednesday. The request to bypass the union negotiation team shows that Canada Post believes that in good documents, there is more support for the offer than the union points out.
The Canadian Post acknowledged that ideally the parties would have independently developed collective bargaining agreements without third-party arbitration, but “given the deadlock and the level of negotiation status of CUPW, it is impossible to reach a temporary agreement in the normal course,” it said in a statement, which was a need for a vote on third-party governments. “We believe that the greatest hope for a collective agreement to achieve free negotiation is to vote by employees managed by CIRB. [Canadian labor law]. In this case, employees of each bargaining unit will have the opportunity to express their decision by voting on the final offer from Canada Post. ”
The two sides have been negotiating since November 2023, but despite months of mediation and mediation by the government, it is far apart in the deal. Canada Post is seeking structural reforms and operational flexibility to address the steep decline in letter mail and parcel shipments. CUPW calls for a massive surge in payments, while opposing changes in the way mail carriers are allocated to routes and use part-time workers.
The mail carrier represented by the union went on strike for nearly five weeks in the second half of last year, during which time the mail and parcels were not processed or delivered, and the post office was closed. The Labor Minister intervened and ordered union members to return to work on December 17, with the provisions of the existing collective bargaining agreement extended to May 22, while the Commission assessed the labor disputes and challenges facing Canada Post.
CUPW supported the threat of launching a strike last Friday, opting for a national ban on overtime, while taking into account another postal offer from Canada.
The latest proposal adopts recommendations from the Industrial Inquiry Commission, such as part-time weekend shifts and upgrade loads between routes. The postal operator accused the Cup of the uneasiness, saying its position “is completely inconsistent with IIC’s findings and recommendations. In addition, CUPW has recently withdrawn a tentative agreement on key issues related to earlier this year.”
Canada Post said Wednesday that the 32-day strike last year caused a quarter of the $6.11 billion pre-tax loss, while the ghost of another strike caused the volume of packages to reach two-thirds in late May.
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Canada Post Post requires the government to vote on contract offer, first appearing on FreightWaves.
