After two cancelled meetings, Canada Post and the union representing its 53,000 workers are scheduled to be back at the negotiating table with a mediator this afternoon.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers will meet with the Crown corporation and provide some answers to questions about the union’s latest contract proposal.
It’s unclear whether there will be any further talks after the details are shared.
In a memo posted to the union’s website, CUPW national president Jan Simpson said Canada Post had been revising its “final” offer to address union proposals.
“Hopefully, at this meeting, we’ll finally see some responses from them,” Simpson said. “Your negotiators remain committed to reaching ratifiable collective agreements at the bargaining table.”
The two sides had been expected to meet last week after the union presented its latest contract offer, but Canada Post negotiators asked for more time to understand details of the offer.
The meeting comes a day after Canada Post announced it lost $407 million in the second quarter.
Canada Post reported plummeting parcel delivery revenue, dropping by $288 million, as they shipped 25 million fewer packages in Q2 compared to a year earlier as customers sought more reliable options.
Contract negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have dragged on for more than 18 months and led to a month-long strike late last year.
Earlier this month, CUPW members rejected the Crown corporation’s “final” contract offer in a vote overseen by the Canada Industrial Relations Board after an order from federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu, who used her authority under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
Canada Post has argued it needs a dramatic restructuring of its operations, an argument supported by a key report from veteran mediator William Kaplan in May.
In his report, Kaplan said the Crown corporation was effectively insolvent.
Kaplan’s May 15 report suggested the use of community mailboxes, the elimination of home delivery except for parcels, and getting rid of some post office locations and replacing them with franchises.
Kaplan also suggested expanding parcel delivery to seven days a week, with the use of part-time and temporary employees.
CUPW members have been in a legal strike position since May 23, but their strike action has so far been limited to a ban on overtime work.
More to come …
