After a few days of back-and-forth proposals, the apparent progress to end a four-week old strike by 55,000 workers at Canada Post seems to have ground to a halt.
By midday Monday, neither side would confirm whether the Canadian Union of Postal Workers had officially responded to the company’s latest offer sent on Friday through a federally appointed mediator.
Instead, the two sides traded shots through the media over the weekend, with union negotiator Jim Gallant saying CUPW was “extremely disappointed” at the latest proposal, and the company chiding the union for speaking publicly rather than through the mediator.
It could be a sign, labour relations experts say, of internal divisions at the union of how to respond to the company’s attempts to restructure how it operates.
“I think what we’re seeing now is that there are probably internal negotiations in the union to determine how to move forward,” said Stephanie Ross, a labour studies professor at McMaster University.
The series of unofficial back-and-forth proposals began last Sunday, after the union and Canada Post received a stern, closed-door talking-to from federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon.
Still, no formal bargaining has taken place since Nov. 28, when the mediator called off talks, saying the two sides were too far apart to reach a deal. The strike began Nov. 15.
Canada Post has previously said it has offered wage increases totalling 11.5 per cent over four years and additional paid leave, while protecting the defined benefit pension and job security provisions.
The union has called for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years, as well as suggesting that Canada Post expand into banking.
The company is also seeking to provide weekend deliveries, and have a greater share of its staff be part-time. The union wants full-time workers to do weekend delivery, while the company wants to hire part-time staff to do the job.
That kind of dramatic restructuring, said Ross, makes it far harder to see a clear path to a settlement than if it were only money dividing the two sides, Ross said.
“It’s hard to split the difference when you’re talking about expanding the presence of casual and part-time labour,” said Ross.
Meanwhile, an Ontario court on Friday issued a decision barring striking union members from picketing at a Purolator courier facility during the strike. Purolator is majority owned by Canada Post.
The union has also filed an unfair labour practice complaint against Canada Post for its decision to lay off some striking workers, a tactic the union has criticized as an attempt at intimidation.
It didn’t work, and may well have backfired, said Ross.
“I think the layoff move wasn’t very wise. It didn’t have the intended effect, which was to introduce fear, and put more pressure on CUPW members,” said Ross. The tactic of bringing other parties to court or regulatory hearings as a way to kick-start negotiations rarely works because it’s usually seen as an aggressive move not conducive to open conversation.
