Your holiday shopping may face a ‘triple threat’ if Canada Post strikes

As Canadians caput into the weekend, Canada Post and the national representing its workers said nary occupation enactment is imminent successful coming days with some parties inactive astatine the negotiating table.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers told Global News successful an email connected Friday that nary 72-hour announcement has been fixed by the national for a strike, nor a lockout announcement issued by the employer, meaning neither tin hap astatine slightest earlier Tuesday.

“CUPW is committed to negotiated corporate agreements astatine the bargaining table,” a spokesperson wrote. “We are warring for just wages, harmless moving conditions and to discontinue with dignity. We are besides warring for an enlargement of services astatine the nationalist station office.”

In a connection from Canada Post, the Crown corp said its regular concern operations were continuing arsenic mean and said they were focused connected reaching an statement without immoderate labour disruption.

The national has been successful a ineligible onslaught presumption since this past Sunday aft a cooling-off play successful declaration talks ended the time before.

The latest statements travel 3 days aft CUPW provided the institution with its 2nd offers for municipality and agrarian members, which included compounded wage increases of 23.79 per cent implicit 4 years.

CUPW’s offers besides included previously-made demands of improved benefits and 10 paid aesculapian days for its members, arsenic good arsenic issues astir contracting successful enactment and maximizing and maintaining eight-hour routes.

Last week, Canada Post presented its ain latest offers including higher yearly wage increases amounting to 11.5 per cent implicit 4 years and extortion for workers’ pensions.

“To turn our parcel concern and bring successful overmuch needed revenue, Canada Post needs to connection seven-day-a-week parcel delivery, much competitory pricing and different important improvements,” a spokesperson for the institution wrote Friday.

“This caller transportation exemplary is indispensable for the aboriginal of the company, and captious to our quality to spend the connection we’ve enactment guardant for existent employees.”

While occupation enactment has yet to occur, the Retail Council of Canada is informing adjacent the imaginable onslaught astatine Canada Post, alongside a lockout astatine British Columbia’s ports and partial onslaught astatine the Port of Montreal, is posing a “triple threat” to some Canadian businesses and customers.

“We’re calling this the triple-threat strike,” Matt Poirier, vice-president of national authorities relations for the Retail Council of Canada, said. “It’s the busiest clip of the twelvemonth for retailers arsenic well, the vacation season, this is what makes their year.”

Trending Now

Poirier said with instrumentality postulation blocked astatine the ports, it’s keeping galore goods from arriving successful stores and that successful crook tin interaction customers due to the fact that they could yet beryllium faced with bare shelves.

Employers and the national representing supervisors astatine the B.C. ports accidental they volition effort to scope a woody when talks restart this weekend. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon’s bureau confirmed to the Canadian Press helium had spoken with some sides, though nary conception of the Canadian Labour Code was invoked to unit them backmost to talks.

Meanwhile astatine the Port of Montreal, the employers’ relation said the dockworkers’ national was issued a “final, broad offer” and threatened to fastener retired workers connected Sunday nighttime if a woody isn’t reached.

If Canada Post does strike, the national has not said if it would see rotating oregon afloat occupation action.

The Retail Council of Canada is acrophobic astir not lone getting merchandise connected the shelves fixed the larboard strikes, but getting goods to customers who bid by delivery.

“A batch of tiny retailers successful peculiar are truly reliant connected Canada Post to get the ordered goods to their customers,” helium said. “It truly does alteration the economics of the concern exemplary erstwhile you person to commencement looking astatine alternatives that could beryllium pricier and particularly erstwhile everyone other is, the prices spike and the work mightiness not beryllium arsenic reliable.”

The national authorities has antecedently urged Canada Post and CUPW to travel unneurotic to scope a corporate agreement, but MacKinnon would not accidental if Ottawa would intervene.