55,000 Canada Post employees return to work Tuesday

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – About 55,000 Canada Post workers will resume letter and parcel deliveries Tuesday after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered an end to the month-long strike.

Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon instructed the board on Friday to determine if a deal between Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and management could be reached over the weekend. If not, he ordered the board to mandate an end to the strike, which began Nov. 15.

“Postal services will resume on Tuesday,” MacKinnon said in a post on X, Monday. “The Canada Industrial Relations Board has found that Canada Post and CUPW are unlikely to reach a deal by the end of the year.”

“The Board has therefore ordered an extension of the current collective agreements, and a resumption of operations.

“An Industrial Inquiry Commission will also be looking into the structural issues of the conflict and will issue a report on May 15,” MacKinnon posted. “This report will serve as a solid basis for both parties to negotiate their collective agreements.”

Canada Post agreed to implement a 5% increase now and negotiations will resume May 22.

“While the terms of the existing collective agreements will be extended until May 22, 2025, we also put forward an offer to implement a wage increase of five per cent for employees, which was proposed in the company’s last global offer,” Canada Post said in a statement.

The wage increase will be radioactive to the day after the current contract expired Dec. 31, 2023 for the rural mail carriers and Jan. 31, 2024 for the urban carriers.

The main issues are said to be sick leave, pay, and job security and conditions.

The union did not comment on the labor board order.