Non-essential mail delivery could stop Friday as Canada Post put the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on 72-hour lockout notice.
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Canada Post has not experienced a work stoppage since 2011, which involved 10 days rotating strikes and a lockout before employees were legislated back to work.
An impending work stoppage at Canada Post has been averted, for now. “Just the threat of a strike has the same impact on our business as an actual strike used to”, said spokesperson Jon Hamilton, adding the company has to readjust its staff.
“We’re asking for pay equity”, he said, saying rural workers earn less.
“We don’t feel, unlike previous governments, that it is the immediate responsibility to be heavy-handed, ” he said in Montreal on Tuesday.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is encouraging the postal service to find a solution to what they see as a growing pension problem and urging a quick settlement before any mail disruption.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a statement accusing management of planning to drive its 50,000 members “into the streets without pay in an effort to impose steep concessions on them”.
The Crown corporation tabled new offers but has yet to hear a response from the union, which must issue a 72-hour notice before going on strike.
CUPW representatives say the union hasn’t presented its notice.
The post office issued a news release Tuesday morning to announce plans to suspend the collective agreement as of Friday.
“Canada Post tabled offers Friday and Saturday, which the Crown corporation said “included modest and manageable wage increases for all employees and no changes to the pension for all employees in the plan”, but” required a new pension approach for new hires”.
“We know we’re dealing with an unscrupulous employer”. The union also accused Canada Post of creating uncertainty by warning the public to avoid the post office. That never materialized. Canada Post is profitable.
“At least they’re sitting down and bargaining”, said Larocque.
They own Purolator and want to funnel their work elsewhere and then use it as an excuse to lock out its workers due to low mail volume.
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If the cheque’s in the mail, you’ll be happy to hear the mail is still being delivered.
