Canadians can now ship and receive with confidence.
After months of bitter negotiations and strike threats Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have reached a tentative two-year agreement.
More than 50,000 postal workers must still ratify the agreements before they become new contracts.
The negotiations were extended twice during the last week of August, but both sides were able to reach a voluntary agreement, Aug. 30, according to Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Details about the deals were not made public.
鈥淓ach side came to this negotiation with a long history of difficult strikes and lockouts. The leaders of Canada Post and CUPW met face-to-face for the first time when I invited them to a meeting with Minister [Scott] Brison on Aug. 19. Both parties took this opportunity to put Canadians first and helped avoid a strike or lockout,鈥� Mihychuk said in her statement.
According to Canada Post, the two-year agreement is shorter than the typical four-year contracts negotiated in the past, but it puts an end to months of uncertainty.
鈥淭he agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers,鈥欌�� said Canada Post in a statement. 鈥淐anadians can now use the postal system with confidence.鈥欌��
Canada Post also said the two-year agreements would provide more time for thoughtful discussion and analysis on how to address issues without the ongoing threat of a work disruption.
Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, welcomed the deal.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 give details of the agreements at this time, but we鈥檙e pleased that our members don鈥檛 have to resort to taking job action,鈥� said Palecek in a statement.聽
According to the Canadian Press, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been called on by a group of women from across the country to direct Canada Post to live up to its legal obligations and pay its female employees the same as their male counterparts.
The difference in pay for rural mail carriers 鈥攚hich are mostly women鈥� and urban letter carriers, has been at the forefront of contract talks between Canada Post and CUPW.
In July, it looked like Canada Post was going to lock out its employees, however both sides agreed to extend negotiations for 30 days to try and reach a settlement.
Key issues included the company鈥檚 plan to close nearly 500 union-staffed retail locations and introduce a defined contribution pension for new hires.
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
