Labor Minister Stephen McKinnon will refer the labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
McKinnon said Friday that if the board determines that negotiations between the parties reach an impasse, it has been directed to order striking CUPW members to return to work under the existing collective bargaining agreement until May 22, 2025. Ta.
“Canadians are understandably fed up” of the strike, the Labor minister said.
“The board is an independent body and we hope to reach a conclusion quickly, and if we agree with the views I have shared with you today, we will order Canada Post to resume operations at the earliest. ‘Early next week. ”
The strike has been going on for more than four weeks, and McKinnon said Friday that federal mediators say negotiations are moving in the wrong direction.
“We made this decision to protect the interests of all Canadians,” MacKinnon said. “It’s not a decision we took lightly, but it’s the right one in this situation.”
The Labor Minister said an industrial investigation committee would be established to investigate why negotiations between the parties failed to reach a solution.
The committee has been directed to submit a report to Canada Post and the Minister of CUPW by May. 15 provides insight into how to bring the parties together and reach an agreement.
MacKinnon said he has appointed William Kaplan, a labor negotiator and former University of Ottawa law professor, to the committee.
The Labor Secretary said Kaplan was selected to chair the committee because he is an “external, independent, seasoned and seasoned arbitrator” needed to get to the root of the dispute and recommend solutions. He said that this is because he has the necessary skills.
“The investigation will be extensive as it will look at Canada Post’s entire structure from both a customer and business model perspective,” McKinnon said.
Trade unions condemn minister’s decision
CUPW issued a statement condemning McKinnon’s move “in the strongest terms” and calling the decision “an attack on our constitutionally protected rights to collective bargaining and to strike.”
The union said it was reviewing the Labor Minister’s order and considering its options going forward.
“The situation is evolving rapidly and we do not have time to consider all the details,” it said in a statement.
“What we know is that postal workers are being forced to return to work without a newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement in place.” If the board determines that the two sides are in conflict. , referring to the fact that postal workers may be ordered to return to work. An impasse.
