Canada’s government seeks to stop postal strike that lasts weeks

The Canadian government has sought to resolve nearly a one-month old strike by postal workers that has blocked deliveries in the country as the festive season draws near.
Labour minister Steven MacKinnon said on Friday that he has directed Canadian Industrial Relations Board to force Canada Post workers back to work if they do not sort out the dispute with their employer soon.
About 55,000 postal workers started their strike for pay and worse working conditions on November 15. The two sides have not been able to agree hence federal mediators last few weeks decided that the two sides were so far apart in their bargaining.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) IN RESPONSE TO THE ORDER ‘‘ condemned in the strongest terms’.

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The CUPW called the government’s move an “assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike” in a statement on Friday. Canada Post, on the other hand, said it was ready to have employees return to work and the services resume. The Crown corporation said it remained focused on securing a negotiated settlement with the union and on meeting the needs of Canadians for postal services. Next week the Canadian Industrial Relations Board will be expected to issue a decision on Minister MacKinnon’s request. The strike has thrown a wrench in business during one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, forcing inventory to pile up in warehouses around the country and raising shipping costs. A business owner in Ontario, Lorne James, told the BBC that the strike could “wipe out a good number of businesses” because of the financial damage that the strike was causing. The strike has hit particularly hard in Canada’s northern communities, where only Canada Post delivers the mail, and it is relied on for critical deliveries such as medicine and cheque payments. Service Canada has also paused the issuance of 85,000 passports and other essential documents due to the strike. In announcing the order on Friday, Minister MacKinnon said “Canadians are rightly fed up” with the continuing strike. He said that decision was not made lightly, “but in this case, it is the right one.” The order would bring striking employees back to work under their existing collective agreement until May 22, when the minister hopes a new agreement will have been reached. The union wants a wage increase of 19% over four years, a deadline higher than the 11.5% offered by Canada Post at the outset. They are also bargaining over benefits, sick leave, working conditions and job security. “Our demands are simple: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, to expand benefits.”