Canada Post strike: Union 'extremely disappointed' in latest offer, negotiator says

A negotiator for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says the latest offer from Canada Post to end the ongoing strike shows the carrier is moving in the "opposite direction."

In a televised interview with CTV News Friday night, CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant said the union received a new offer from Canada Post earlier in the day.

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"What we can see from the offer that we received today is that Canada Post is moving in the opposite direction than we need to get to a negotiated collective agreement," he said. "We're extremely disappointed."

In an emailed statement Saturday, Canada Post told CTVNews.ca that it hasn't yet received a formal response from the union, and that the public comments came as a surprise.

"We have made significant moves to close the gap on key issues like weekend delivery, pensions and wages and bring much-needed urgency to the discussions," the response reads.

"We are currently operating within a confidential process, which was agreed to by both parties. With the movements we’ve made, we would have preferred to hear from CUPW through that process, rather than cause additional concern for our customers and employees."

The latest offer comes as the postal strike enters its fourth week. Statements Friday from the union and from Canada Post alike express desires to reach a resolution, though official mediation between the two parties has not fully resumed.

"The Corporation remains committed to working with urgency to get closer to agreements for CUPW’s Urban and RSMC bargaining units," reads a Friday release from Canada Post.

Since the beginning of December, communications between the company and its workers have included what Canada Post calls a "comprehensive framework" for new agreements on Dec. 1, followed by counter proposals from CUPW on Thursday, and now the company's response to that counter, Friday.

"We were supposed to come back with something that was going to work for 55,000 of our members, and what we can see in the offer that they made today is that there's nothing there for existing employees," Gallant told CTV News. "Basically, it's an agreement that would say: 'You should be happy to have a job.'"

In its Saturday statement to CTV News, Canada Post said it has "continued to put forward fair offers that are focused on our customers and our employees – improving service to grow our parcel business, while protecting and enhancing what our employees have today. "

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In its statement Friday, Canada Post pointed to the issue of its "outdated, mail-based delivery model," and said changes are needed in order to "better compete in the parcel business."

"We understand the serious impacts that CUPW’s national strike is having on the millions of Canadians and businesses who rely on the postal service, especially at this critical time of year," the release reads. "To facilitate the negotiations process, the company will not be providing further details at this time."

Asked about impacts on Canadians, Gallant returned the point.

"Canada Post; they're going to be the Grinch, and they're not going to let Canadians have Christmas, at this point," he said. "Canada Post really needs to be told by the government that this isn't the way."

At present, the CUPW negotiator agreed it wasn't clear when the strike would end.

"It's not one step back, it's multiple steps back," Gallant said.