Canada Post resumes operations Dec. 17 following strike

By David Hartwig

Canada Post resumed operations Dec. 17 following an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

A strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers began Nov. 15.

In a Dec. 16 press release, Canada Post said it would work through the mail and parcels in the system on a first-in, first-out basis from Dec. 17 to Dec. 19.

“These first two days will give us the time we need to safely reopen facilities, restart machines and vehicles that have been idle for weeks, and begin working through the volumes in our network,” Canada Post said.

Canada Post said it would begin collecting new items into the network Dec. 19 and new international mail Dec. 23. Delivery delays can be expected into January 2025, Canada Post said.

In a Dec. 13 press release, Canada Post announced it was reviewing the details of a process established by Canada’s Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon, which would order postal operations to resume if the Canada Industrial Relations Board were to assess it likely that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers would not reach an agreement by the end of 2024.

After two days of hearings, the Canada Industrial Relations Board confirmed the parties were not likely to reach agreement in time.

In a Dec. 16 statement, Canadian Union of Postal Workers national president Jan Simpson asked members to return to shifts as of Dec. 17.

“After almost five weeks of a nationwide strike, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), under the direction of the Minister of Labour, has stripped the right to strike from postal workers,” Simpson said.

Challenges to the constitutionality of MacKinnon’s actions will be heard by the Canada Industrial Relations Board Jan. 13 and 14, Canadian Union of Postal Workers national grievance officer Carl Girouard said in a Dec. 16 statement.

In addition to postal operations resuming, the terms of the existing collective agreements will be extended until May 22, 2025. Canada Post also implemented a 5 percent wage increase for employees.

Canada Post said: “Our commitment has always been to reach negotiated agreements with CUPW that would help us better serve the changing needs of Canadians and provide good jobs to those who provide the service. We remain committed to doing so within this new process while also meeting the postal needs of Canadians.”

Girouard said the Canada Post Corporation implemented the wage increase at the direction of the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

“This wage increase is a ‘baseline’ wage increase,” Girouard said, “and the Union will still be in a position to negotiate an additional percentage wage increase for that same year during the period leading to May 22, 2025.”

Negotiation updates between Canada Post and its unions are available online.

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