The Canada Post strike is expected to continue because there are “too many gaps on important issues” to reach an agreement, according to Labor Minister Stephen McKinnon.
In a post on X Wednesday, he said a special federal mediator had suspended the mediation.
“We hope that this suspension of mediation activities will allow the parties to reassess their positions and return to the negotiating table with renewed determination,” the minister’s post reads.
He wrote that he would ask those involved to meet in his office and tell them that the onus was “on them alone” to find a solution to the impasse.
“Special mediators will re-engage with the parties as soon as productive negotiations can begin anew. Canadians look to them to quickly create these conditions.”
The strike began almost two weeks ago. Postal workers’ union CUPW says it wants pay to be in line with inflation, more paid clinic days, better benefits and an end to the use of private contractors.
In a recent progress update, the union said its labor relations director has indicated it may contract out weekend parcel deliveries to Canada Post.
“This comment was interpreted by CUPW negotiators as a threat,” the summary says.
A strike group of Canada Post employees marches in Montreal on Monday, November 25, 2024. (Christine Muschi / The Canadian Press)
The union also urged Canada Post to increase the number of temporary workers, alleging it has steadily increased the number of temporary workers at most locations “despite ongoing staffing issues and training costs.” The company is seeking to hire 300,000 full-time employees.
Canada Post said in its update that it maintains a strong full-time workforce despite declining revenue and severe market competition.
“Approximately 95 percent of the delivery team is full-time,” an emailed update provided to CTV News Tuesday night said.
“Through these negotiations, Canada Post has submitted detailed proposals to bring more flexibility to our outdated postal-based delivery model. These changes will make us more competitive in the parcel business and make Canadians more We need it to provide good service and drive much-needed revenue growth.”
The company valued its losses since 2018 at more than $3 billion, adding that it had a pre-tax loss of $315 million in the third quarter of 2024.
Canada Post also said it has delivered an estimated 10 million fewer packages since the strike began, based on last year’s data.
