Postal workers’ union returns to bargaining table amid labour-code complaint

A Canada Post truck is seen on a road in Montreal on Tuesday, Dec.17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says it is returning to the bargaining table the day after it filed an official complaint against Canada Post over alleged unfair labour practices.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca Thursday afternoon, the union wrote that they will resume negotiations “in good faith,” and that they “expect Canada Post to do the same.”

The move comes at the request of Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu, who asked the parties to return to the table with the aid of federal mediators, noting that “Canadians expect the parties to resolve this dispute one way or another.”

In recent days, Canada Post has asked Hajdu to order a vote on the carrier’s most recent offer, while the union has requested binding arbitration to resolve the labour dispute.

Both sides have released statements rejecting the other’s proposed way forward.

“Canada Post is seeking a timely and fair resolution to restore stability to the postal system while ensuring employees have a voice in the process by allowing them to vote. The union’s proposal to send the matter to binding arbitration would do the opposite,” a Sunday statement from the Crown corporation reads.

“CUPW stands solidly against a forced vote,” reads a statement released by the union on Tuesday. “A forced vote is an attack on the most basic rights of trade unions to represent their members.”

Complaint alleges direct bargaining

In a statement released Wednesday, the union wrote that the complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) stemmed from the postal carrier “bargaining directly with members,” conduct they say interferes with CUPW’s exclusive bargaining rights.

The union statement cited numerous behaviours allegedly undertaken by Canada Post, including “captive audience meetings, videos, press releases, documents” and other means to direct audiences to the Crown corporation’s website, methods they claim served to “bypass the Union.”

Communications materials included “alarmist comments” and “misinformation,” the statement alleges.

“The Union is asking the CIRB to order Canada Post to stop this interference, level the playing field by giving the Union opportunity to rebut the employer’s misinformation on their platforms and order damages to the Union and members,” it reads.

In a statement to CTV News Thursday morning, Canada Post rejected the union’s allegations “in their entirety,” including claims it had negotiated directly with its employees.

“Under the Canada Labour Code, employers are permitted to express views and communicate with employees during collective bargaining,” it reads. “Canada Post has exercised this right responsibly, delivering accurate, neutral, and factual information … We remain fully committed to concluding collective agreements through the proper channels.”