LTB 556/11 Canadian Union of Postal Workers

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No: 556/11
Ref: wh/jb/Canada/11/an
Date: 21st June 2011


To: All Branches



Dear Colleagues,

Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Branches and members will know from the CWU website that our colleagues of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are locked in a bitter dispute with the employer, Canada Post.

The collective agreement that CUPW had with Canada Post expired on 23 May and the union had been negotiating with the company for many months leading to that date. The company if demanding new employees are paid significantly less than existing employees. Further they want to reduce the terms and conditions of all current employees and impose working methods for new machinery.

Following the expiry of the contract the CUPW embarked on a series of legal rolling one day strikes across Canada in an attempt to convince Canada Post to negotiate responsibly and reach a new collective agreement with the union. The reaction from the employer was to lock out postal workers irrespective of whether they were involved in strike action. They have shut down the postal system across Canada and now the recently elected majority conservative government intend to make the Canadian Parliament sit for one extra week simply to pass emergency legislation to force postal workers back to work and impose binding arbitration.

This is an astonishing situation and one that must be viewed very closely by all postal workers globally.

The action of Canada Post and the Canadian government is against ILO conventions and the basic human rights of freedom of association and the ability to take strike action.

The union has sent messages of solidarity to the Executive and members of CUPW before and during the dispute.

You can tell the Canadian government of your disgust at their actions by sending a message to:

use the following link; http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/soli ... cgi?c=1022" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Messages of support can be sent to Denis Lemelin at CUPW, 377 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1Y3 or by email to dlemelin@cupw-sttp.org

More information on the dispute can be found at

http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/1165/la_id/1.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



J Baldwin
Head of International Affairs

[fishtank]

Striking Canadian postal workers forced back
http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/strikin ... -back.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
28th June 2011

"Astonishing" collusion between panic-stricken company bosses and the Government has forced striking Canadian postal workers to end their action.

Claiming to be acting in the national interest, the country's newly elected Conservative government has forced stringent new laws through parliament which legally prevent further strikes and impose a below-inflation pay rise on the workforce.

Walkouts began at the start of June, when postal union CUPW-STTP called the first in a series of "rotating strikes" - an innovative tactic, which saw the CUPW-STTP executive call different "locals" (branches) out on strike each day.

From Winnipeg to Windsor, Montreal to Mauricie, in every Canadian city and town the valiant and united postwomen and Postmen of Canada walked out in turn, each "local" proudly taking its turn on the front line of the struggle.

Expecting an all-out stoppage, red-faced Canada Post chiefs were left helpless, unable to plan their response and unaware which part of the nation would be struck next.

With the company unable to stop the action, failing in their attempts to break the workers' unity and losing the battle for public opinion, media speculation grew over possible emergency "back-to-work" legislation.

Here in the UK, such laws are unfamiliar to us, but in Canada, legislators have enacted emergency new statutes in some instances in the past where vital public services are considered at risk.

Initially, even Canada's newly elected Conservative government was reluctant to intervene, Labour Minister Linda Raitt urging both sides to find an agreement among themselves when questioned over the dispute in parliament.

But, rather than negotiate seriously - or even accept the union's offer to suspend the strikes providing the existing "status quo" was respected by the company while talks continued - CPC began to restrict services to the public.

On June 13, as the second week of action began, CUPW-STTP president Denis Lemelin accused the company of "trying to force postal workers out on a full-scale national strike in order to secure back-to-work legislation from the majority Conservative government."

On June 14, Canada Post took the extraordinary decision to lock out its postal workers and abruptly halt services across the country, announcing to a shocked public that "a lockout is the best way to bring a timely resolution to this impasse."

This step quickly gained the desired response from government, Ms Raitt telling Canada's media the next day: "We're going to reassess the effect on the general public interest now that there's a complete work stoppage."

And the following evening, she announced: "Tonight we will be putting on notice legislation to restore mail delivery service for Canadians."

Despite the best efforts of opposition members of parliament, and angry public protests and rallies, Ms Raitt's Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Bill passed through parliament, received Royal Assent at the end of last week and came into force as an Act of Parliament yesterday (Monday).

Paragraph 3(b) of the new Act effectively orders postwomen and postmen back to work, instructing that "every employee must, when so required, resume without delay, or continue, as the case may be, the duties of the employee's employment."

And Paragraph 5(b) insists that the union must take full responsibility for this, insisting: "The union and each officer and representative of the union must take all reasonable steps to ensure that employees comply with paragraph 3(b)" and "refrain from any conduct that may encourage employees not to comply with paragraph 3(b)."

And Paragraph 15 imposes pay settlements for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, raising pay by 1.75, 1.5, 2 and 2 per cent respectively, rises that are, according to the CUPW-STTP's Mr Lemelin, "less than the last offer presented by Canada Post management."

Here in the UK, the CWU has roundly condemned the new laws, which our head of international affairs John Baldwin has described as "an astonishing example of the most blatant collusion between an anti-union government and employer.

"The action of Canada Post and the Canadian government is against ILO conventions and the basic human rights of freedom of association and the ability to take strike action," he added.

Faced with the new laws, the CUPW-STTP's national executive was left with no choice but to order a return to work, but, in a defiant statement, union president Mr Lemelin insisted: We are returning to work, but we are not defeated.

"All CUPW members can go back to work with our heads held high. Throughout this struggle, we showed unprecedented strength, solidarity, determination and courage.

"Just as we were united on the picket lines, we need to be united and strong when we are back in the workplace. Canada Post's lockout was wrong, and Canada Post's reliance on legislation is shameful," added the union leader.

"CUPW-STTP has been legislated back to work in the past and that has not stopped us from continuing our struggle for justice and dignity.

"The government can never legislate away our solidarity and determination