Intervention by the federal Minister of Labour to end a Canada Post strike won't save Christmas and hurts labour, according to Canada Post workers.
Canada Post announced it would be restarting operations on Dec. 17, and "ramping up and stabilizing operations across the country." The company said it would prioritize the mail and parcels trapped in the system since the strike began.
"We're going to do our best for our customers, but there's only so much we can do," said Tanya Paré, CUPW Local 854 vice-president, as she continued to walk the picket line on Dec. 13 in Williams Lake after workers had been told the federal government would be stepping in to end the strike.
Members of CUPW Local 854 said they are "devastated" by the announcement. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has involved the Canada Industrial Relations Board and extended the current contract until May of 2025 when an agreement was not reached.
"It would be a so much better Christmas story if we were going back to work with a negotiated settlement," said Candace Stafford, secretary/treasurer for the local union.
Canada Post said it expects to begin accepting new commercial volumes on Dec. 19 but service guarantees are suspended for the time being. Customers should expect delays through the end of 2024 and into January of 2025. New international mail will not be accepted until Dec. 23.
After a month of strike action, workers said they were beginning to feel pressure was building for Canada Post Corporation to come to the table and engage in meaningful negotiations with workers, something the union said the corporation has not yet done.
Canada Post, however, said they have always been committed to reach a negotiated agreement with the union.
"We are prepared to fully participate in the process and comply with the minister's directive," stated the release from Canada Post following the federal announcement to intervene in the strike.
"While that unfolds, we look forward to welcoming our employees back to work and serving Canadians and customers," stated the release, adding the corporation will take appropriate steps to support the process.
But CUPW members on picket lines Dec. 13 in Williams Lake said they were just trying to keep their spirits up as they waited for what will come next after the announcement of intervention by the Minister of Labour.
"This is the worst time to get involved," said Paré, who believes the corporation will have no reason to negotiate fairly once workers are forced back to work.
Workers said while they have been hurting, along with the Canadians going without mail, the corporate executives at Canada Post have not had to face the same challenges.
"We are the public, we are just as hurt as everyone else," said Paré. The workers also point to Doug Ettinger, CEO of Canada Post and a member of the board of directors for Purolator, as and example of having no incentive to come to an agreement while Purolator and other couriers profit off the Canada Post strike.
Paré said it is already hard enough to be going without paycheques at this time of year, and now, workers could be back at work leading up to Christmas, with no pay still to come until after the new year, and what leverage they had now gone.
"So we're going to be defeated and poor," said Paré, pointing to government intervention as the reason postal workers have fallen behind in wages.
"Labour just got a huge slap across the face by not being able to negotiate in good faith," said Paré, noting the impact CUPW has had on labour standards in the country, including helping lead the way for paid maternity leave.
Both CUPW and Canada Post Corporation had said they were reviewing the details of the Minister of Labour's announcement, with CUPW calling it an "assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike" in a press release.
"This order continues a deeply troubling pattern in which the government uses its arbitrary powers to let employers off the hook, drag their feet, and refuse to bargain in good faith with workers and their unions," stated the CUPW.
Canada Post said details on their start-up plans will continue to be made available at canadapost.ca.
This story has been updated to include plans for the start up of services provided by Canada Post.
