On notice:
Union argues mail service refusing to pay women same rate as male employees
Canada Post says it plans to suspend collective agreement as of Friday,
Canada Post workers are bracing to hit the picket lines as early as Friday after the corporation issued a 72hour lockout notice on Tuesday.
“They refused to negotiate fairly with us and now they’re locking the doors and will try to starve us into submission,” Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ (CUPW) president Mike Palecek told a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.
“We know that we’re dealing with bully bosses and they’ll try to provoke our members,” said Palecek, whose union represents 50,000 workers.
In a statement of its own early Tuesday, Canada Post said it plans to suspend the collective agreement as of Friday.
The corporation blamed prolonged negotiations, the union’s strike mandate and the financial cost of a rapid decline in mail volume.
Canada Post has said that in the event of a full work disruption, it will not operate — mail and parcels will not be delivered and no new items will be accepted.
The Canada Revenue Agency has deemed Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Working Income Tax Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit cheques “essential” — even during a labour disruption. Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said the corporation has a memorandum of agreement with the union “where the federal socioeconomic cheques will be delivered.”
“In the event of a work disruption we would arrange . . . delivery one day of the month,” he said Monday.
The two sides have been in negotiations since December for its delivery and plant employees and were going full-bore with the rhetoric on Tuesday.
The Crown corporation said that CUPW’s demands are “not affordable” and would add $1 billion in costs over the life of a new contract.
Palecek accused the corporation of lying with its figures.
He also said he expects the company to try to goad workers into doing something rash.
“We know that we’re dealing with bully bosses and they’ll try to provoke our members,” Palecek said.
Palecek said the union has not issued a strike notice.
“Our goal is to continue service to the public,” Palecek said.
Both sides have said a sticking point in negotiations involves changes to employee pension plans.
Palecek said the union’s key issue is that the corporation has refused to pay female rural workers the same as their male, urban counterparts.
“They’re paid 28 per cent less for doing exactly the same work,” Palecek said. “Canada Post needs to fol- low the law and pay women equally.”
Palecek said Canada Post has also refused to talk about expanding services to the public instead of layoffs.
The last time Canada Post experienced a work stoppage was in 2011, which included 10 days of rotating strikes and a lockout before employees were legislated back to work by the governing Conservatives.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the Liberals won’t immediately consider legislation, but might if a stoppage drags on.
“We are a government that believes in good faith negotiations that happen at the bargaining table. That is where these discussions need to be worked out,” Trudeau said.