Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is sending the labour dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
MacKinnon said Friday that if the board determines negotiations between the parties are at an impasse, it has been directed to order striking CUPW members back to work under the existing collective agreement until May 22, 2025.
“Canadians are rightly fed up,” with the strike, the labour minister said.
“The board is an independent entity, it will reach its conclusions, I hope, quickly, and if it agrees with the observations that I’ve shared with you today, then would order a resumption of activities of Canada Post that could happen as early as early next week.”
The strike has lasted more than four weeks, and MacKinnon said Friday that a federal mediator says negotiations are going in the wrong direction.
“I am making this decision to protect the interests of all Canadians,” MacKinnon said. “It is not a decision I take lightly, but in this situation, it is the right one.”
The labour minister said an industrial inquiry commission will be established to find out why negotiations between the parties have failed to deliver a resolution.
The commission has been directed to deliver a report to the minister, Canada Post and CUPW, by May. 15, which will provide insight on how to bring the parties together to strike an agreement.
MacKinnon said he has appointed labour negotiator and former University of Ottawa law professor William Kaplan to the role of commissioner.
The labour minister said Kaplan was chosen to preside over the commission because he is “an outside, independent, experienced veteran arbitrator,” with the skills necessary to get to the root of the dispute and propose solutions.
“The inquiry will have a broad scope as it will examine the entire structure of Canada Post, from both a customer and business model standpoint,” MacKinnon said.
Union denounces minister’s decision
The CUPW issued a statement denouncing MacKinnon’s move “in the strongest terms,” calling the decision an “assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike.”
The union said that it is reviewing the labour minister’s order and is considering its options moving forward.
“This is a rapidly developing situation, and we have not had time to review all of the details,” the statement said.
“What we do know is that postal workers are being forced to return to work without new negotiated collective agreements in place,” a reference to the fact that the board could order workers to go back to the job if it believes the two sides are at an impasse.