Canada Post says ‘parties remain far apart’ as strike continues

Canada Post and its workers’ national are entering a caller circular of mediated negotiations arsenic a nationwide postal strike enters its 4th day

Both sides return to the bargaining array Monday with a peculiar mediator, Peter Simpson, who was appointed by the national authorities past week.

“The absorption of the peculiar mediator is for the parties to scope a deal,” Matthieu Perrotin, property caput for Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, said successful a connection to Global News connected Monday.

“Canadians are counting connected the parties to scope a deal. Negotiated agreements are ever the champion mode forward.”

More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went connected onslaught Friday, halting message and parcel services crossed the country. Some station offices person besides been shuttered amid the occupation action.

On Monday, Canada Post said some “parties stay acold isolated astatine the table,” but the talks proceed and the Crown corp is committed to reaching caller agreements.

“Canada Post supports the assignment of a peculiar mediator by the Minister of Labour arsenic efforts proceed to execute negotiated agreements with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW),” Lisa Liu, a Canada Post spokesperson, told Global News successful an emailed connection Monday.

“We stay committed to reaching caller agreements astatine the bargaining table, and not done arbitration. Discussions continue.”

In an interrogation with Global News connected Sunday, Jan Simpson, nationalist president of the CUPW, said she is hopeful that this caller circular of bargaining this week volition pb to the dialog of 2 corporate agreements for municipality operations portion and the agrarian and suburban message carriers (RSMC) unit.

“We’re inactive connected the picket lines close now, we’re going to beryllium there, but connected Monday, we spell backmost to the array with the caller mediator to spot what we tin do,” she said.

“So hopefully … we’re capable to get 2 corporate agreements successful spot that conscionable the needs of everyone involved.”

Canada Post has said that nary caller items volition beryllium accepted until the onslaught ends, but each message and parcels that are already successful the postal web volition beryllium secured and delivered connected a first-in, first-out ground erstwhile the operations resume.

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The Crown corp has besides warned that adjacent erstwhile the nationalist onslaught ends, Canadians volition proceed to acquisition interaction to services.

“Processing and transportation volition beryllium challenged going guardant owed to the impacts of the strike,” Liu said.

The disruption comes during the engaged vacation buying season.

Liu said the onslaught is negatively impacting tiny businesses, charities and distant communities.

Canada Post’s parcel volumes declined by 42 per cent past week compared to the aforesaid week successful the erstwhile year.

“With nary caller parcel volumes successful the strategy implicit the 4 days of the nationalist strike, this concern volition lone worsen,” Liu said.

The national authorities has not indicated that it volition see a back-to-work authorities to extremity the strike, with MacKinnon saying connected Friday that helium “is not looking astatine immoderate different solution different than negotiation.”