Canada Post wants labour disruption: union

The union representing postal workers is accusing Canada Post of trying to provoke a labour dispute this summer.

That’s because Canada Post filed notices of dispute on Monday with the minister of labour, requesting conciliation — a move that essentially starts the clock on a countdown to a strike or lockout.

“This is completely unprecedented. It is usually done when talks have broken down, and the parties are f ar apart,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

“It has never happened this early in the process,” he said, noting the company hasn’t yet finished presenting all of its demands. “They are acting as if they want a labour dispute.”

The union estimates a legal strike or lockout date could come in early July. But Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said negotiations began late last year with little progress being made on key issues.

“This brings in a third-party conciliator to work through issues,” he said. “It’s a productive step. It should be seen as helping both sides to sit down and get a deal.”

While Hamilton refused to discuss any of the issues at the bargaining table, he said the company’s goal is to get a deal that’s “f air for employees, but respects the envi- ronment we are working in and the needs of our customers.”

The union says Canada Post is seeking concessions on many fronts including benefits, job security and pensions, including switching new hires to a defined contribution plan from the current defined benefit plan.

It also says the company is unwilling to consider its proposals for service expansion and merging the two units — an urban one with 42,000 members — and the ruralsuburban one with about 8,000.

The contract for rural carriers expired Dec. 31, 2015, while the contract for the urban group expired Jan. 31.