Canada Post talks to resume as possibility of strike looms next month

There is still no deal between Canada Post and the union representing postal workers resume talks before collective agreements expire on May 22.

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are resuming talks Wednesday before collective agreements expire next month. Both parties are trying to reach a deal to avoid a potential labour disruption that could happen as soon as May 22.

The postal workers’ national strike was suspended late last year to allow the federal Industrial Inquiry Commission to review the key issues involving the dispute and make recommendations to resolve it. The collective agreements were extended to May 22.

“While our top priority remains reaching collective agreements that reflect the critical changes needed at the table, we’re preparing for a number of potential outcomes, including the possibility of a labour disruption on or after May 22,” said Lisa Liu, a spokesperson for Canada Post, in an email to CTVNews.ca on Tuesday. “We will continue to keep customers and the public updated.”

Liu said that Canada Post and the union are meeting over two days with a mediator this week after talks broke off in March because the parties were “unable to come to a resolution.”

“At the request of the mediator, further comments on these discussions will not be shared at this time,” Liu wrote.

The Industrial Inquiry Commission is expected to release a final report and provide recommendations to the Minister of Labour by May 15.

The union said in a press release Tuesday that the talks will continue if there’s “progress,” but acknowledged the difficulties of reaching a deal.

“It’s no secret that this has been a challenging round of bargaining for all of us,” Jan Simpson, Canadian Union of Postal Workers national president, said in the press release.

Simpson says the union aims to secure collective agreements that provide fair wages, health and safety protections, job security and the right to retire with dignity.

Canada Post’s month-long strike stopped mail delivery across the country late last year before the federal labour minister ordered staff back to work in December.

Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger told the Industrial Inquiry Commission in January that the postal service was facing a challenging financial reality and needed to “change right now” to survive, The Canadian Press reported.