Starting Monday, postal workers across the country are meeting in general meetings to decide on a strike mandate.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has 55,000 members across the country. Two major CUPW union units are involved in negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement, that of urban mail carriers and that of rural and suburban mail carriers.
The meetings to decide on the strike mandate will take place from September 9 to October 20, depending on the municipality, the relevant unit of the postmen and the local section of the union.
“When the time comes, we invite you to vote yes. A strong strike mandate will give our negotiating committees the means to obtain a good agreement at the bargaining table,” wrote the CUPW in a message to its members.
Negotiations between Canada Post and the CUPW, which is affiliated with the FTQ in Quebec, began on November 9, 2023. The two collective agreements expired on December 31.
A conciliator and a conciliator were assigned to the files on August 13 to facilitate a rapprochement between the parties. The conciliation period usually lasts 60 days. It can be extended if the parties wish.
This is followed by a 21-day cooling-off period. Only after this period could the parties trigger a lockout or strike, on November 3, just as the holiday shopping season approaches.
“We are very grateful for the trust our customers place in us and we know that seasonal planning is done months in advance. If there is a strong possibility of a work stoppage, we are committed to informing customers as quickly as possible. We will work closely with our customers to prepare and take into account the needs of their business,” Canada Post said in a statement issued in mid-August.
Canada Post has been in a difficult financial situation for several years, due to the decline in letter delivery and competition from the private sector in the parcel delivery sector.
“Every year, we deliver fewer letters, but we have to deliver them to more addresses, which puts significant pressure on the Corporation’s costs, in a context of persistent inflationary pressures,” the corporation stressed last Friday when it announced its intention to increase the price of stamps.
The union has already proposed other avenues to generate additional revenue for the Post Office, such as postal banking services, a vigilance service and an e-commerce platform for small and medium-sized businesses.