Postal workers ordered back to work by federal labour board
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This article was published 31/12/2024 (459 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s been five weeks since postal workers went on strike and now they have been ordered to return to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), upon a request from Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon.
The CIRB determined that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) were unlikely to reach a deal by the end of the year. Postal workers resumed work on Dec. 17 and will continue working until May 22, 2025.
“This decision is disappointing to say the least for CUPW and all of our members who made sacrifices to fight for what is right and our rights to negotiate improvements to our working conditions,” read a statement by CUPW. “CUPW will still challenge the constitutionality and the current application of section 107 by the minister of labour. Our challenges will be heard by the CIRB on Jan. 13 and 14, 2025.”
Furthermore, in its decision, the CIRB directed Canada Post Corporation to implement a wage increase of five percent. This wage increase will apply to all paid hours going forward upon the return to work and will also be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024, for the rural and suburban mail carrier (RSMC) bargaining unit and Feb. 1, 2024, for the urban bargaining unit.
In addition, Canada Post will pay to all regular employees from the urban bargaining units and all route owners and permanent relief employees in the RSMC bargaining unit a retroactive payment of $1,000 by Dec. 24. They will also pay $500 to all temporary workers in the urban bargaining unit and on call relief employees in the RSMC bargaining unit that have worked 1,000 hours in 2024.
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike on Nov. 15. The action has caused processing and delivery of mail and parcels to cease and in some cases post offices to close.
The union is looking for a 23 percent increase over four years. It also wants to add 10 paid medical days to the existing seven paid personal days and to allow workers to bank medical days, but Canada Post refuses to budge from 13 personal days.
CUPW is also demanding significant improvements to the group benefits plans, including increased coverage for health specialists, fertility treatment, gender-affirming care, and vision care and precautionary cessation of work for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.
Canada Post claims that it has made offers for wage increases of 11.5 percent over four years in addition to measures protecting defined benefit pensions and job security. Other offers include improved leave entitlements for current employees, transitioning to an hourly rate of pay for RSMC employees, and supporting CUPW’s proposal for a future merger of the RSMC and urban bargaining units.
In the first six months of 2024, Canada Post recorded a loss from operations of $490 million. Since 2018, Canada Post has lost more than $3 billion.