The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said it is “exploring all options” to fight the back-to-work legislation which it claims will send its members “back to the same old unresolved problems in the workplace at the busiest time of the year”.
The emergency bill which has been fast-tracked through Canada's House of Commons and which the state Senate is scheduled to vote on later today so that it can be passed into law, potentially as early as tomorrow, follows a stalemate in negotiations to end a labour dispute at Canada Post which has now entered its sixth week and has been characterised by thousands of unionized workers staging rotating strikes.
“Postal workers will not accept another violation of our right to free collective bargaining,” said Mike Palecek, the CUPW's national president, in a statement. “It’s not just a matter of our Charter rights. This bill legislates continued injuries, unpaid work, gender inequality, and general dishonesty and disrespect.”
He added: “We condemn this hypocritical act by a government that promised to defend workers’ rights, claimed to stand for equality for women, and claimed to stand for expanding and defending the middle class“.
Palecek added: “It’s unacceptable for any government to violate workers’ Charter rights. Shame on the government, who promised us better“.
The statement underlined that the rotating strikes and the overtime ban are continuing as are negotiations.
In its latest post, the CPUW said industrial action was taking place in Fraser Valley West (British Columbia), Hamilton (Ontario), London (Ontario) Royal City (British Columbia), Scarborough (Ontario) and Vancouver (British Columbia).
While some Canadians are receiving packages delivered through Canada Post's network, it is at a much slower pace than normal for the time of year.
Quoted in the Canadian media yesterday, a spokesman for the postal utility revealed that work restrictions imposed by the CUPW, including a ban on overtime, meant only about 30,000 parcels were likely be delivered to Canadians over the (past) weekend. He added that parcel delivery volumes are normally in the range of 500,000 packages on late November weekends.
“Weekend deliveries occur during the holidays to keep pace and balance the workload through the week,” he said. “In 2017 we delivered 3.6 million parcels on holiday weekends“.
In a media report published late last week, Labour minister, Patty Hajdu, said the government was still hoping Canada Post and its workers could reach a negotiated settlement but justified the recourse to back-to-work legislation on the grounds that with Black Friday and also the Christmas holiday season approaching, Canadians needed to know they could rely on an efficient mail delivery service.
"We also have a responsibility to all Canadians and to the businesses that drive our economy, and when the consequences of a work stoppage become so great that they begin to result in serious or lasting harm, we must act," she said. "When a strike or a lockout is affecting thousands, or even millions of people, the government must intervene“.
Parcels have been piling up and deliveries from other countries have been suspended, Hadju added.
For his part, prime minister, Justin Trudeau said back-to-work legislation was never the best option and he hoped the government wouldn't need to move forward on it.
"But hearing from businesses, Canadians right across the country, particularly as we approach the holiday season, who are really feeling negative impacts of this … while we are continuing to hold out hope that there's going to be a settlement or an agreement at the bargaining table, we also have to do what's responsible and prepare for the possible need for legislation," he commented.
Last week, the CUPW rejected Canada Post's proposal that postal staff suspend ongoing industrial action during the pre-holiday peak season and return to the negotiating table early next year.
The previous week it had turned down a time-limited offer from the state corporation with the aim to “quickly resolve negotiations and clear backlogs”.
