Canada Post and its workers’ union are entering a fresh round of mediated negotiations as a nationwide postal strike enters its fourth day
Both sides return to the bargaining table Monday with a special mediator, Peter Simpson, who was appointed by the federal government last week.
“The focus of the special mediator is for the parties to reach a deal,” Matthieu Perrotin, press secretary for Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, said in a statement to Global News on Monday.
“Canadians are counting on the parties to reach a deal. Negotiated agreements are always the best way forward.”
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday, halting mail and parcel services across the country. Some post offices have also been shuttered amid the job action.
On Monday, Canada Post said both “parties remain far apart at the table,” but the talks continue and the Crown corporation is committed to reaching new agreements.
“Canada Post supports the appointment of a special mediator by the Minister of Labour as efforts continue to achieve negotiated agreements with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW),” Lisa Liu, a Canada Post spokesperson, told Global News in an emailed statement Monday.
“We remain committed to reaching new agreements at the bargaining table, and not through arbitration. Discussions continue.”
In an interview with Global News on Sunday, Jan Simpson, national president of the CUPW, said she is hopeful that this new round of bargaining this week will lead to the negotiation of two collective agreements for urban operations unit and the rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) unit.
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“We’re still on the picket lines right now, we’re going to be there, but on Monday, we go back to the table with the new mediator to see what we can do,” she said.
“So hopefully … we’re able to get two collective agreements in place that meet the needs of everyone involved.”
Canada Post has said that no new items will be accepted until the strike ends, but all mail and parcels that are already in the postal network will be secured and delivered on a first-in, first-out basis once the operations resume.
The Crown corporation has also warned that even once the national strike ends, Canadians will continue to experience impact to services.
“Processing and delivery will be challenged going forward due to the impacts of the strike,” Liu said.
The disruption comes during the busy holiday shopping season.
Liu said the strike is negatively impacting small businesses, charities and remote communities.
Canada Post’s parcel volumes declined by 42 per cent last week compared to the same week in the previous year.
“With no new parcel volumes in the system over the four days of the national strike, this situation will only worsen,” Liu said.
The federal government has not indicated that it will consider a back-to-work legislation to end the strike, with MacKinnon saying on Friday that he “is not looking at any other solution other than negotiation.”
