Canada Post says the latest offers from the union representing striking postal workers take “major steps backwards,” and cautioned it was unlikely there would be a quick resolution to the labour dispute as it nears the four-week mark.
In a statement Monday night, the Crown corporation said it was “extremely disappointed” that it appeared the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) was trying to “widen the gap” in negotiations, though it said it was conducting a full review of the offers.
“We don’t want to provide false hope to impacted employees, small businesses, charities and northern communities that were hoping for a speedy resolution,” the statement reads.
“Canada Post has made several important moves to close the gap and reach negotiated agreements, but the union has reverted to their previous positions or increased their demands.”
According to the company, their latest offer includes wage increases above what had previously been offered. It said the other aspects of its offer remain confidential but the company is focused on building on what its employees have, which include up to seven weeks of vacation and 13 personal days for full-time employees, and a defined benefit pension plan with “yearly cost-of-living adjustments” for pensioners.
Canada Post’s finances were also underscored in its statement, with the company stating it was seeing a “deteriorating financial situation” and expects its seventh consecutive annual loss.
The union put out its own statement Monday, saying it had met directly with Canada Post to present revised proposals in response to the company’s own offers.
CUPW’s proposals include wage increases, a cost of living allowance, 10 medical days in addition to the seven personal days in the collective agreement, as well rural and urban-specific offers such as corporate vehicles for rural and suburban workers and a minimum 20-hour schedule for part-time urban employees.
The union’s latest wage proposal is lower than what it has previously asked for, with a nine per cent increase in the first year of the contract, followed by four per cent in the second year and three per cent in the third and fourth years. This total of 19 per cent is a decrease from the previously proposed 22 per cent or a compounded 24 per cent.
It said it’s also asking for a cost of living allowance, more job security, and higher short-term disability payments.
For urban workers, the union is asking for a minimum 20-hour schedule for all part-time employees, as well as improved full-time staffing and more protections against technological change.
In its statement, the union called on Canada Post to consider its proposals.
“With our nationwide strike now in its fourth week, we have waited far too long for Canada Post to bargain in good faith,” the statement reads.
“True progress requires meaningful engagement, not surface-level proposals, or new demands that derail progress.”
One of the key issues in bargaining has been a potential expansion into weekend deliveries, with the two sides at odds over how to staff the expansion.
Canada Post has said it plans to staff the weekend shifts with a mix of new permanent part-time positions and some full-time. But the union has accused it of trying to increase its reliance on part-time workers.
Global News asked Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon earlier Monday for comment on the ongoing impact the strike was having to Canadians, as well as businesses and charities, and if the federal government will intervene.
In a statement, MacKinnon’s office maintained its stance that negotiated agreements were the “best way forward.”
“We urge the parties to get back to the negotiating table,” the statement said. “Parties must do the work necessary to reach a deal, as Canadians are counting on them.”
–with files from The Canadian Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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