Canada Post union issues 72-hour notice of job action

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN UNION OF POSTAL WORKERS

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OTTAWA - Last night, the federal Minister of Labour MaryAnn Mihychuk requested that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post management both agree to a 24-hour extension of timelines, in order to allow for the negotiation of a longer extension and ongoing talks.

“This was an eleventh-hour intervention from the government to avoid a dispute and of course we said yes. From the outset, our goal has been a negotiated collective agreement without service disruptions,” said CUPW national president Mike Palecek.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Canada Post, whose President and CEO Deepak Chopra refused the Minister’s request, forcing the union into a labour dispute.

“For months, Chopra has been trying to provoke a disruption in the middle of the government’s review of Canada Post. Unfortunately, Mr. Chopra’s latest actions leave us no choice but to file a 72-hour notice of job action,” said Palecek.

Canada Post set the stage by filing for conciliation very early in the process. But over the past months, management has barely negotiated, moving very little on its major demands for massive cuts and a two-tier system for new hires.

In the notice it sent to management, CUPW listed its anticipated job actions but has stopped short of walking off the job.

“We are still willing to withdraw our notice if Canada Post agrees to an extension. Our goal remains a freely negotiated collective agreement, without disruption to the public service that we proudly provide to the people of this country,” said Palecek.

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