Canada Post Issues 72-Hour Lockout Notice

Earlier this week, the Crown corporation issued an advisory, with deadlines for people to send their mail to avoid the looming lockout.

Canada Post wants to change the pension plan for newly hired workers to a defined contribution plan, different from the current one defined benefit plan which guarantees a reliable payout every month.

In its response, CUPW said the corporation is using the lockout notice to drive 50,000 workers “out on to the streets without pay in an effort to impose steep concessions on them”.

Furthermore, the pension plan CUPW believe should remain in place for new hires is not affordable, and adds another $1 billion in costs, Hamilton said.

A lockout would mean a halt to delivery of mail and parcels, and Canada Post wouldn’t accept any new items to send domestically or overseas.

Both sides continue to negotiate and hopes are that a result can be worked out without having to resort to a labour disruption as was feared last week, he said.

“What we’re saying is if they’re delivering parcels beyond six and a half hours a day, pay them for that and don’t just give them a dollar a parcel”.

“We knew this was their game all along”, CUPW president Mike Palacek said. We don’t want a labour conflict, especially when there’s a public review, but Canada Post is forcing our backs to the wall.

“In their offer, the union rejected any changes to the pension, more than tripled the corporation’s proposed wage increases and demanded the immediate reinstatement of several changes agreed to in the last round of negotiations in 2012”.

In a statement, Labour minister MaryAnn Mihychuk said that she remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached by the parties.

Canada Post’s haste to push matters to a head in the bargaining process while insisting on hefty cuts has had the CUPW crying foul from the beginning. “Therefore, there will be no industrial action prior to July 6”, the union says in a statement. Employment and Social Development Canada said about 95 per cent of employment insurance payments, 96 per cent of CPP payments, and nearly 98 per cent of old age security payments are done through direct deposit.