Postal strike on hold

HALDIMAND—Mail will begin flowing again, for now, as the postal strike has been temporarily halted. On Friday, December 13, 2024 Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to mandate the 55,000 picketing postal workers back to work if a deal could not be reached by the end of 2024.

The directive relies on Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which allows the Labour Minister to take steps to maintain industrial peace and promote the resolution of labour disputes.

Over the weekend, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) resumed negotiations but failed to come to an agreement. Consequently, CIRB extended the current union contracts through May, granting additional time for bargaining. At that time, strike action could resume if no contract is reached.

Canada Post stated it had agreed to a 5% wage increase, retroactive to the expiry date of the collective agreements.

The union criticized the government’s decision, describing it as an “assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike.”

“Once again, the government has chosen capital over workers by taking away our leverage to get a good deal,” the CUPW stated in a press release.

Canada Post, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to reaching an agreement: “Our goal has always been to reach negotiated agreements with the union. We remain committed to doing so within this new process while also meeting the postal needs of Canadians.”