Discussions continue to avoid strike at Canada Post
Posted November 1, 2024 2:35 pm.
Last Updated November 1, 2024 2:54 pm.
Discussions were ongoing Friday between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in an effort to avoid a strike.
As of Friday noon, no strike notice had been issued by the large pan-Canadian union, which has 55,000 members. This means that the onset of any potential strike is postponed at least until next week.
The union will have the legal right to strike starting Sunday, but it must provide 72 hours’ notice if it decides to do so. Since no such notice had been given by Friday noon, the potential strike has been pushed back to next week, at the earliest.
Additionally, the reflection period following the conciliation phase between the parties will end Saturday, in accordance with current regulations. In this case, conciliation began on August 13 and has not resulted in an agreement.
The lines of communication between the parties remain open, confirmed both Canada Post and the union, which is affiliated with the FTQ in Quebec.
“At this critical stage of negotiations, we are focusing on negotiating new collective agreements,” Canada Post stated.
On Friday, the union was still reviewing the latest comprehensive offers submitted by Canada Post on Tuesday night, which total 500 pages. However, it noted that, based on its preliminary assessment, the latest wage offers of 11.97% over four years were “far from what we are asking for and deserve.”
Canada Post, for its part, reiterated its challenging financial situation.
On Thursday, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon met with the union and Canada Post management to encourage them to reach a negotiated settlement. “The parties need to do the necessary work to find an agreement. Negotiated agreements are the best way forward,” he stated.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews.
