The first hearings of Commissioner William Kaplan, appointed by the federal government to investigate labor relations at Canada Post, will take place in January.
The Commission of Inquiry into Labor Relations was created by the federal Minister of Labor, Steven MacKinnon, after a month of strike at the Post Office, from mid-November to mid-December.
The minister first asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to rule in order to determine whether he still considered it possible for the two parties to reach an agreement by the end of 2024 on the renewal of the collective agreements. However, this was not considered possible.
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Federal Minister of Labor and Seniors, Steven MacKinnon. (Archive photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick
The resumption of postal activities was finally ordered for December 17, to the great dismay of the Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which represents 55,000 members across the country. THE STTP saw there a blatant violation of our Charter rights
Canadian Rights and Freedoms.
The current collective agreements have been extended until May 22.
The commissioner’s report is also expected on May 15, a week before the expiry of this extension of the agreements.
The commissioner has already met the management and union parties separately, the day before Christmas, to discuss the technical organization of the commission of inquiry, reported the Union of Postal Workers.
The first hearings are due to take place in January. Additional meetings will follow in February and March.
The Commission of Inquiry has a broad mandate, including making recommendations on the following questions:
- the structure, rights and responsibilities of both the Union and Canada Post in matters of collective bargaining;
- obstacles that prevent the Union and the employer from reaching negotiated collective agreements;
- any other changes to be made.
Canada Post has been experiencing financial difficulties for several years now due to competition from private companies.
The Crown corporation wants in particular to offer delivery on weekends, which must be negotiated between the parties. How to achieve this has become the main point of dispute.
In the past, seeing the difficulties faced by Canada Post, the Union had submitted several proposals to help the Crown corporation diversify its activities, for example access to charging stations for electric vehicles and a vigilance service for of some elderly people.
