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Mail delivery could stop if Canada Post labour talks fail

Mail service could come to a halt if Canada Post and the postal workers aren’t able to reach a new labour agreement by the end of the month.

Mail service could come to a halt if Canada Post and the postal workers aren’t able to reach a new labour agreement by the end of the month.

Negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have continued since late 2015, but the possibility of a work stoppage is looming as early as July 2 if both sides can’t come to terms.

A 60-day conciliation period ended on June 10 and both sides are in the middle of a 21-day ‘cooling-off’ period. Under this timeframe, there cannot be any legal work disruption until July 2

In a letter to customers, Canada Post said mail and parcels will not be delivered in the event of a work stoppage and new items will not be accepted. Canada Post is urging customers to take steps to prepare for a possible labour disruption, but it states there is still time to reach an agreement.

Canada Post spokesperson Mouktar Abdillahi would not discuss what could potentially happen after July 2.

“Until the end of June, there can be no legal work stoppage or disruption, beyond that I can’t speculate,” he said.

Abdillahi said Canada Post is focused on getting a deal in place and it will keep customers informed throughout the process.

“We’re working towards getting a deal that is fair to our employees, that is affordable to the corporation that is sustainable and that doesn’t place a burden on the customers before the end of June,” he said.

Canada Post is encouraging its customers to send items before specific dates, depending on the item and destination, to ensure they will be delivered before June 30.

Regular letter mail should be delivered before June 23. Regular parcels should have been submitted for delivery on June 16 for national service, June 22 for regional service and June 27 for local service. Xpresspost and Priority parcels have until June 28 or 29. Any letters or parcels within the system during a potential work stoppage will be secured and delivered as soon as possible once work resumes.

Abdillahi said the “basic themes” of negotiations are fairness to employees, keeping operations affordable for Canada Post and responding to customers’ needs.

He said Canada Post wants more flexibility to deliver parcels over the weekend as an increasing number of Canadians are making online purchases any day of the week.

“With the decline of letter mail and the growth of parcel delivery because people are shopping more and more online, obviously that’s really where we need to go and that’s the direction we’re pushing towards in the negotiations,” said Abdillahi.

The head of the postal union said workers expect to be locked out by Canada Post after July 2.

“Every indication is they plan to do that,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the CUPW. “They’re telling their large mailers to prepare for a postal shut down.”

He said one of the union’s key demands is equality for urban and rural carriers. Palecek said rural carriers, who are predominantly female, make 28 per cent less than their urban counterparts, who are primarily male.

“This is a pay equity issue,” he said.

Palecek said the union is concerned about cuts to benefits and job security, as well as a move to replace the existing pension plan with a defined contribution plan.

“They’re demanding cuts to our benefits and job security and things we know we will never accept,” he said.

He said the union also wants Canada Post to look at future services such as postal banking to bring in new revenue.

Palecek said there needs to be a discussion about the future of Canada Post and the level of service Canadians expect from it, but it shouldn’t occur under the shadow of a labour dispute.

One Okotoks business owner said the whole situation could mean more work for her employees.

Bev Carlson, owner of Ardiel Agencies in Okotoks, said they use Canada Post daily sending documents to customers.

“We use Canada Post for everything for our customers not only do we mail out invoices and receive payments from customers that way, but that’s also how we mail out our customers’ insurance documents, their pink cards for vehicles,” she said. “That’s a huge deal for us.”

Carlson said the last time there was a postal strike, the business made other arrangements, staff did more work by phone and customers came down in person when possible.

She said there are some online alternatives, but some of her customers, particularly seniors, still prefer hard-copy documents.

For more information visit www.canadapost.ca

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