Canada Post strike talks suspended as parties 'remain too far apart'

Labour minister says Ottawa will not step in to end the dispute

Mediation between Canada Post and its postal workers has been temporarily suspended by the special federal mediator, as the parties “remain too far apart,” the federal labour minister said Wednesday as the nationwide mail strike reaches its thirteenth day.

Minister Steven MacKinnon said the pause in mediation will hopefully permit the parties to reassess their positions and return to the bargaining table with renewed resolve.

“After several intensive days of negotiation, (the special federal mediator’s) assessment is that parties remain too far apart on critical issues for mediation to be successful at this time,” MacKinnon said in a post on X.com.

MacKinnon said he has requested that both parties meet at his office on Wednesday to be told that they alone are responsible for the consequences of the conflict, indicating that the federal government will not intervene in the labour dispute, stopping short of introducing back-to-work legislation.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, MacKinnon said sending the matter to binding arbitration “is not in the cards,” even though he invoked that authority to resolve a ports dispute and rail dispute in recent months.

“Every dispute is different, but here the issues are fundamental. The issues are around a transformed business model for the corporation,” MacKinnon said in French.

Approximately 55,000 postal workers hit the picket lines after years-long failed negotiations between Canada Post Corp. and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

The strike, which started Nov. 15, has so far affected nearly 10 million parcels since it began, Canada Post said. That number is expected to rise with Black Friday sales and the busy holiday season now underway.

On Nov. 27, Canada Post said its talks with CUPW “have ground to a halt with no movement.” It said the union had just informed the Crown corporation through the special mediator that it will not be responding at all, after not responding over the past several days.

CUPW rejected the claim by Canada Post, calling the update “full of half-truths and outright deception.”

It said the union negotiators did tell the special mediator they were unwilling to talk about one particular employer demand, which they said had already been discussed at least a dozen times in bargaining.

“Canada Post is fully aware of how far CUPW is willing to go – they just don’t like the answer,” CUPW said in the statement.

Disputes on wages appear far apart for both parties. Management has proposed an 11.5 per cent wage increase over four years, while the union is asking for 24 per cent cumulative over the same time period.

Additional reporting by The Canadian Press

• Email: dpaglinawan@postmedia.com

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