The Canadian Union of Postal Workers sees Canada Post’s decision to seek conciliation in contract talks as a provocative move.
The union representing postal workers is accusing Canada Post of trying to provoke a labour dispute this summer.
That’s because Canada Post filed notices of dispute on Monday with the minister of labour, requesting conciliation help in negotiations — a move which essentially starts the clock on a countdown to a strike or lockout.
“This is completely unprecedented. It is usually done when talks have broken down, and the parties are far apart,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
“It has never happened this early in the process,” he said, noting the company hasn’t even finished presenting all its demands yet. “They are acting as if they want a labour dispute.”
The union estimates a legal strike or lockout date could come in early July.
But Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said negotiations began late last year with little progress being made on key issues.
“This brings in a third-party conciliator to work through issues,” he said. “It's a productive step. It should be seen as helping both sides to sit down and get a deal.”
While Hamilton refused to discuss any of the issues at the bargaining table, he said the company’s goal is to get a deal that’s “fair for employees but respects the environment we are working in and the needs of our customers.”
The union says Canada Post is seeking concessions on many fronts including benefits, job security and pensions, including switching new hires to a defined contribution plan from the current defined benefits plan.
It also says the company is unwilling to consider its proposals for service expansion and merging the two units – an urban one with 42,000 members – and the rural-suburban one with about 8,000.
The contract for rural carriers expired on Dec. 31, 2015, while the contract for the urban group expired on Jan. 31.
Palecek added that the new Liberal government has promised to conduct a review of Canada Post’s operations, so the timing is odd.
“We think at this point in time, Canada Post should be preparing for public consultations on the future of the post office, not trying to declare war on its workforce.”
The last round of negotiations in 2011 for the urban unit was marked by rotating strikes, a lockout, and then back-to-work legislation, followed by controversy over the federal government’s choice for arbitrators.
In the end, the parties returned to the negotiating table and hammered out a deal.