Canada Post strike? ‘Not a scenario’ where NDP supports back-to-work bill

As a imaginable onslaught of Canada Post workers looms, the Crown corp says it its “operating arsenic normal” portion negotiations with the national continue.

If a onslaught does spell ahead, astatine slightest 1 absorption enactment has said it volition not enactment back-to-work legislation.

Postal workers volition legally beryllium successful a onslaught presumption arsenic of Sunday, but a 72-hour announcement is required nether the Canada Labour Code earlier employees tin locomotion disconnected the job.

“Both parties stay astatine the array and we person not received a announcement of onslaught from the union,” said Valérie Chartrand, a Canada Post spokesperson.

“If we person a onslaught notice, we volition beryllium notifying customers and the nationalist of our plans regarding service,” she told Global News successful a connection Friday.

On Tuesday, Canada Post presented caller offers to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, including higher yearly wage increases amounting to 11.5 per cent implicit 4 years and protections to workers’ pensions.

CUPW’s nationalist president Jan Simpson, told Global News connected Thursday that the national is reviewing that connection and volition beryllium responding to Canada Post.

“We’re inactive astatine the bargaining array hopeful to beryllium capable to get a negotiated corporate statement for some the municipality operations and the agrarian suburban message carriers,” she said.

A cooling-off play successful the labour negotiations volition expire connected Saturday aft which postal workers volition legally beryllium successful a presumption to strike.

The quality comes up of the engaged vacation season, and Canada Post has warned that a labour disruption would person “significant consequences” for millions of Canadians.

The national authorities has urged some parties to scope a corporate statement and is moving to facilitate that outcome.

Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon met with Canada Post and CUPW connected Thursday.

He told reporters connected Wednesday: “We’re evidently progressive successful trying to facilitate a corporate statement and we privation the 2 parties to hold and for that statement to beryllium ratified.”

MacKinnon did not accidental if the national authorities would intervene.

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If a onslaught goes ahead, it’s not wide if the Liberal number authorities volition beryllium capable to enforce a back-to-work authorities arsenic it did with the railway shutdown successful August.

The New Democratic Party, for one, volition not enactment it.

“There is not a script wherever we’ll beryllium supporting back-to-work legislation,” said Matthew Green, NDP’s labour critic.

“It’s incumbent connected the labour curate to not usage the menace of legislating Canada Post backmost to enactment to fundamentally instrumentality absorption disconnected the hook from negotiating a just woody with these workers,” Green said successful an interrogation with Global News connected Friday.

He said that each options request to beryllium explored, adding, “anytime determination is the thought that absorption tin conscionable trust connected a anemic Liberal authorities to intervene connected their behalf, it wholly undermines the moving people successful Canada.”

Global News has besides reached retired to the Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party for their positions connected back-to-work authorities successful the lawsuit of a Canada Post strike, but nary responses person been received.

The labour quality comes arsenic Canada Post is struggling to enactment afloat amid fiscal losses.

Canada Post says it recorded $490 million is losses from operations successful the archetypal fractional of the twelvemonth and since 2018, it has mislaid much than $3 billion.