Canada passes legislation to end month-long postal strike

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Canada on Monday passed a back-to-work legislation that will end the postal workers’ strike, which lasted for more than a month, as the holiday season kicked off.

The legislation, tabled by the government as Bill C-89 last week, forces the employees to end a series of rotating strikes from Tuesday noon despite not having reached an agreement with Canada Post.

“Back-to-work legislation is a last resort and not something we take lightly. However, having exhausted all other options, it is necessary to protect the public interest and avoid further harm to the Canadian economy,” Labour Minister Patty Hajdu said in a statement.

An extended strike would have weighed on retailers, some of whom turned to couriers like United Parcels Services and FedEx Corp to maintain timely deliveries.

Hajdu said a mediator-arbitrator will now be appointed and the most recent collective agreements will be extended till the parties reach a new agreement.

The employees failed to reach an agreement with the country’s primary postal operator on their demands for increased health benefits and job security.

Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said it was “exploring all options to fight the back-to-work legislation”.

"Postal workers will continue to defend our right to negotiate a settlement," CUPW national president Mike Palecek said in a statement.

Canada Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postal Workers to Trudeau: We Will Remember

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CUPW Vows to Keep Fighting; All Options on the Table

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is exploring all options to fight the back-to-work legislation passed in the Senate this evening, which will send our members back to the same old unresolved problems in the workplace at the busiest time of the year.

“Postal workers are rightly dismayed and outraged,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “This law violates of our right to free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Going back to work under the old collective agreements means that between now and the holidays:

At least 315 disabling injuries will happen to postal workers;
Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) will work roughly 250,000 hours without pay;
Urban postal workers will work thousands of hours of forced overtime;
RSMCs will continue to be treated, as Canada Post calls it, with “equity but not equality”.
Prior to this round of collective bargaining, the Trudeau Liberal government had claimed to be a champion for the labour movement, but through this legislation, it is clear that it has turned its back on postal workers.

“Postal workers will continue to defend our right to negotiate a settlement,” adds Palecek. “We know that an arbitrated contract will only prolong our problems with injuries, inequality, and overwork. If the Trudeau government thought that passing this legislation would end the dispute, they’ve made a mistake.”

[Navalron]

They should all start going on the sick list at the same time. The employers don't play fair so why should the employees. Well done to the Canadian posties for sticking to their principles.