Labour minister pushes for 'deal at the table' after Canada Post union issues strike notice
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says the federal government currently has no plans to intervene in negotiations after the union representing Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday morning.
“We are hoping to achieve a deal at the table,” MacKinnon said during a press conference on Tuesday. “The issues at hand in the Canada Post negotiations are substantial. They’re significant.”
“There's a lot of work to do, and I know the parties are negotiating today,” he added. “We will make every effort possible to keep them at the table and keep them talking, and we hope to achieve a negotiated settlement there.”
When pressed, MacKinnon insisted the government’s plan is to “support collective bargaining,” and that it’s “put all the resources that are required into supporting the parties” in place, namely “mediation support.”
If it came to it, the Liberals may be challenged in advancing back-to-work legislation through the House of Commons, as work in the chamber has been largely stalled since September, due to a Conservative-led privilege debate.
Both sides of the bargaining table, meanwhile, have expressed disappointment at the current state of the negotiations.
Canada Post workers have a slate of demands, including wage increases in line with inflation, “improved staffing provisions,” increased paid medical days, paid meals and rest periods, and improved rights for temporary employees.
According to a statement from the union representing Canada Post workers, it’s undecided whether job actions will take place immediately, though they’ll legally be in position to strike as of Friday.
Next steps will be determined based on Canada Post’s actions at the bargaining table, the statement reads.
“We haven’t decided how the strike would look, we're hoping to get a negotiated contract to avoid having a strike action actually take place,” CUPW national president Jan Simpson told CTV News Channel.
“We're trying to get a fair wage, we're trying to improve health and safety issues, we're trying to ensure that we can retire with dignity, with our pensions, as well as expand the public post office,” she also said.
Simpson added “arbitrated contracts are not good for anyone,” and the union hopes Canada Post will “come to the table with real solutions” to address both parties’ concerns.
The union national president said negotiations have been going on for nearly a year, but there hasn’t been “much movement” in that time.
In a statement released Tuesday, Canada Post said it will continue delivering mail even if the union initiates rotating strike activity. Benefit cheques, including those for the Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan, will also continue to be delivered despite any disruptions.
“Canada Post has notified the union that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday,” the statement reads. “The Corporation will then be in a position, using the means provided in the Canada Labour Code, to adjust operations based on its operational realities and business needs.”
The company said the challenges it’s facing will “intensify” if it does not adapt to compete with today’s parcel delivery market.
And in a bargaining update issued last week, Canada Post called the negotiations “less productive than hoped for.”
“Urgency is needed at the table and we remain hopeful that further discussions will afford a breakthrough,” it also reads. “However, our deteriorating financial situation, and the impact on our customers, could require the company to revisit its proposals.”
According to Canada Post, the company lost about $748 million last year, and $490 million just in the first half of this year.
Despite increasing the price of stamps, Canada Post says it will “fall below required operating and reserve cash requirements by early 2025” without additional borrowing.
“Seven-day delivery is absolutely critical,” Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said in an interview with CTV News on Tuesday. “Having a flexible delivery model that allows us to provide different services and more affordable services is absolutely critical.”
“The parcel business has changed so much in just the last few years coming out of COVID,” he added. “The competition is just insane.”
Hamilton said the company hopes to find a resolution to the labour dispute as soon as possible, especially so it can evolve to compete in the delivery market. Without those framework changes to the business, he says, it can’t afford to meet the union’s demands.
With files from CTV News’ Colton Praill
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canada expands list of banned firearms to include hundreds of new models and variants
The Canadian government is expanding its list of banned firearms, adding hundreds of additional makes, models and their variants, effective immediately.
LIVE UPDATES Anger, vitriol against health insurers filled social media in the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing
The masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson used ammunition emblazoned with the words 'deny,' 'defend' and 'depose,' a law enforcement official said Thursday. Here's the latest.
Man wanted for military desertion turns himself in at Canada-U.S. border
A man wanted for deserting the U.S. military 16 years ago was arrested at the border in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this week.
Life expectancy in Canada: Up last year, still down compared to pre-pandemic
The average Canadian can expect to live 81.7 years, according to new death data from Statistics Canada. That’s higher than the previous year, but still lower than pre-pandemic levels.
'At the dawn of a third nuclear age,' senior U.K. commander warns
The head of Britain’s armed forces has warned that the world stands at the cusp of a 'third nuclear age,' defined by multiple simultaneous challenges and weakened safeguards that kept previous threats in check.
These foods will be hit hardest by inflation in 2025, according to AI modelling
The new year won’t bring a resolution to rising food costs, according to a new report that predicts prices to rise as much as five per cent in 2025.
Pete Davidson, Jason Sudeikis and other former 'SNL' cast members reveal how little they got paid
Live from New York, it’s revelations about paydays on 'Saturday Night Live.'
The National Weather Service cancels tsunami warning for the U.S. West Coast after 7.0 earthquake
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items of grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast.
Alleged Alberta Bitcoin extortionist, arsonist arrested
Authorities have arrested Finbar Hughes, a man wanted in connection with alleged plots in Calgary and Edmonton that threatened to burn victims' homes if they did not pay him Bitcoin ransoms.
Local Spotlight
N.S. woman finds endangered leatherback sea turtle washed up on Cape Breton beach
Mary Janet MacDonald has gone for walks on Port Hood Beach, N.S., most of her life, but in all those years, she had never seen anything like the discovery she made on Saturday: a leatherback sea turtle.
'It moved me': Person returns stolen Prada bag to Halifax store; owner donates proceeds
A Halifax store owner says a person returned a Prada bag after allegedly stealing it.
'It's all about tradition': Bushwakker marking 30 years of blackberry mead
The ancient art of meadmaking has become a holiday tradition for Regina's Bushwakker Brewpub, marking 30 years of its signature blackberry mead on Saturday.
Alberta photographer braves frigid storms to capture the beauty of Canadian winters
Most people want to stay indoors when temperatures drop to -30, but that’s the picture-perfect condition, literally, for Angela Boehm.
N.S. teacher, students help families in need at Christmas for more than 25 years
For more than a quarter-century, Lisa Roach's middle school students have been playing the role of Santa Claus to strangers during the holidays.
N.S. girl battling rare disease surprised with Taylor Swift-themed salon day
A Nova Scotia girl battling a rare disease recently had her 'Wildest Dreams' fulfilled when she was pampered with a Swiftie salon day.
Winnipeg city councillor a seven-time provincial arm wrestling champ
A Winnipeg city councillor doesn’t just have a strong grip on municipal politics.
Watch: Noisy throng of sea lions frolic near Jericho Beach
A large swarm of California sea lions have converged in the waters near Vancouver’s Jericho and Locarno beaches.
Auburn Bay residents brave the cold to hold Parade of Lights
It was pretty cold Saturday night, but the hearts of those in a southeast Calgary neighbourhood warmed right up during a big annual celebration.