Canada Post and the union representing its postal workers will return to the bargaining table Friday to restart talks in their longstanding labour dispute, both sides confirmed Wednesday.
The national mail carrier said in a statement it has asked the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to present a response to its “best and final offers” that were first presented in May, and which postal workers rejected in a vote nearly two weeks ago.
“The parties will meet on Friday to resume good faith discussions with the assistance of federal mediators,” Canada Post said.
“The company looks forward to receiving a detailed and comprehensive response from CUPW that addresses the real, significant and increasing challenges faced by the postal service.”
CUPW had been calling for a return to the bargaining table ever since the results of a two-week vote administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board were announced on Aug. 1, which saw more than two-thirds of urban and rural mail carriers reject their respective contract offers.
The union on Wednesday accused both Canada Post and the federal government of delaying negotiations through the vote and an attempt at arbitration that also went nowhere.
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“The job now is to get ratifiable collective agreements,” CUPW national president Jan Simpson said in a statement. “And the members have made clear that those do not look like what the employer is selling.”
Simpson said both sides met with federal mediators on Tuesday and will meet again on Friday and Monday.
Mail carriers are continuing to refuse overtime work in a ban that started in May.
Canada Post’s latest proposal included wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years and restructuring to add part-time workers to the deal.
The union has long fought against the use of part-time or contracted workers, arguing savings for the financially struggling company can be found elsewhere.
“Canada Post is facing an existential crisis,” the company said Wednesday. “Letter mail volumes continue to erode and competition in the parcel line of business places ever increasing pressure on the Corporation’s operating model.
“While negotiations remain unresolved, there remains an urgent need to modernize Canada Post and protect this vital national service for Canadians.”
That statement echoed findings from an Industrial Inquiry Commission report from Commissioner William Kaplan earlier this year, which found the postal service was effectively bankrupt and needed substantial reforms to remain afloat.
Negotiations for a new collective agreement have been ongoing for more than a year and a half. The federal government asked the CIRB to step in and stop a holiday season postal strike late last year, but the parties remain at an impasse.
In a statement after the vote results on Canada Post’s offers were announced, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said federal mediators would remain available to help in the talks but urged both sides to reach a deal quickly.
“It is now up to the parties to return to the table and come to an agreement that works for both of them,” she said.
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