Canada Post strike talks continue but ‘lot of ground’ remains

Canada Post and the postal workers national recovered slivers of statement Tuesday amid talks with a peculiar mediator, but “a batch of ground” remains betwixt them connected the cardinal concerns arsenic a countrywide strike entered its 5th day.

“On smaller issues, we were capable to find immoderate progress,” said Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton successful a telephone interview.

“The peculiar mediator has helped facilitate those discussions. So we’re going to proceed to beryllium astatine it. We’re committed to getting corporate agreements. We don’t privation arbitration,” helium said.

“There’s inactive a batch of crushed to cover.”

With deliveries astatine a standstill, the Crown corp and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are successful negotiations implicit a brace of contracts — 1 for agrarian and suburban message carriers that was discussed Monday, the different for municipality carriers that was nether the microscope connected Tuesday.

The national said advancement was made owed successful portion to the beingness of Ottawa’s apical mediator, appointed to the task past week. Peter Simpson, manager wide of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, spent the opening of the week astatine a edifice successful Ottawa shuttling betwixt the parties’ league rooms successful a back-and-forth of proposals and imaginable concessions.

“After 12 months of discussions, the leader yet began to determination connected the pressing issues. Resolving these issues could pave the mode to agreements,” national president Jan Simpson said successful an update to members Tuesday.

“The municipality portion volition find retired if determination is question connected their side.”

About 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walked disconnected the occupation connected Friday, shutting down operations and halting deliveries arsenic the engaged vacation play kicks off.

The national is calling for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent implicit 4 years, portion Canada Post has offered an 11.5 per cent increase.

Other wedge issues see occupation security, benefits and declaration enactment for parcel transportation connected weekends.

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Negotiations betwixt Canada Post and its unionized employees began successful November 2023.

On apical of wage hikes to marque up for inflation, the national is seeking bumps to short-term disablement payouts and 10 paid sick days per year. For agrarian and suburban message carriers, the national besides wants to see firm vehicles for mail-carriers arsenic good arsenic paid meals and breaks.

Canada Post has argued that its fiscal concern is already dire and the union’s demands would interruption the bank.

In the archetypal fractional of 2024, Canada Post mislaid astir a half-billion dollars. The Crown corp has reported $3 cardinal successful losses since 2018, arsenic Canadians sent less letters portion competitors gobbled up adjacent much of the parcel market.

The national counters this presumption by suggesting the Crown corp reconsider its ongoing enforcement bonuses and grow its services to negociate higher costs.

The past postal enactment stoppage took spot starting successful precocious October 2018, erstwhile employees carried retired rotating strikes lasting 31 days.

Previous postal strikes held successful 2011 and 2018 ended erstwhile the national authorities passed authorities sending employees backmost to work.