Postal workers forced back to work
The federal labour minister has forced postal workers back to work and opened a commission to look into why no settlement has been reached so far.
The federal labour minister has forced postal workers back to work and opened a commission to look into why no settlement has been reached so far.
walkerp 18:10 on 2024-12-13 Permalink
Can the labour minister also force Canada Post to accept their offer?
H. John 02:29 on 2024-12-14 Permalink
As the article points out, the Minister did not end the strike, nor can he order anything. He asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to intervene, and to take that action.
As the article says:
“The board is an independent entity. It will reach its conclusions, I hope, quickly, and if it agrees with the observations that I’ve shared with you today, then [it] would order a resumption of activities of Canada Post that could happen as early as early next week.”
@walkerp could you clarify what you’re asking?
walkerp 14:22 on 2024-12-15 Permalink
Hi H. John, sorry I was being a bit vague and kneejerk. Here is my more specific question: can the Canada Industrial Relations Board also force Canada Post to accept the union’s demands?
H. John 16:29 on 2024-12-15 Permalink
@walkerp Sorry for being a bit thick.
The answer to “can the Canada Industrial Relations Board also force Canada Post to accept the union’s demands?” is that the Board does have the power to force both sides to accept a decision; but, not in this case. There is a difference between mediation where both sides must come to an agreement, and arbitration where the arbitrator makes the final call and binds both sides.
It’s difficult to be sure what will happen next because as Minister Steve MacKinnon explained at his Friday press conference, they are trying a creative solution called “Time Out” (his words). His 30 minute press conference is on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYZYB6I4p0M
The normal steps in a labour dispute are mediation, followed, if necessary, by binding arbitration, and then possibly back to work legislation (as governments have done to postal workers in 1987, 1997, 2011, and 2018).
This time the Minister is asking the Board to open the case, decide if they agree that negotiations are stalled, to order a return to work and extend the current contract to the end of May 2025. At the same time he has created a Commission with a very broad mandate:
“The commissioner will be tasked with examining the structural issues, preventing the resolution of the current labour dispute…. The inquiry will have a broad scope as it will examine the entire structure of Canada Post from both a customer and business model standpoint, considering the challenging business environment now facing Canada Post…”.
Once the report has been completed (by May) the two sides will then return to negotiating a new contract.
We’ll have a clearer understanding of the next steps once the Minister’s office publishes his request to the Board, and the exact mandate for the commission.
H. John 00:40 on 2024-12-16 Permalink
Hearings took place over the weekend, next step a decision from the Board:
https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/business/canada-post-union-make-their-case-at-labour-board-hearings/article_01b41673-9424-5324-a1c4-cde063e6d9fa.html