Amidst an increasingly temperamental and fraught negotiation process between Canada Post and the CUPW union, the CUPW has proposed a 30 day ‘cooling off’ period.


The CUPW has released a statement today that says that this could help to “address concerns about ‘uncertainty’ in the mail system and give negotiations a chance to succeed”.

“Our members, their families and all Canadians do not deserve to have this threat of a lockout ‘looming’ over our heads from a profitable public service. Postal workers want to work and people need to know that it’s safe to use the mail system,” said Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Should the cooling off period be granted, the CUPW has said that it is prepared to engage in intensive negotiations with Canada Post during the time. This could include an extension of the terms and conditions of 50,000 workers’ contracts as the negotiations continue.

As a sign of good faith the CUPW has offered to drop a complaint against Canada Post over unfair labour practices should management agree to the union’s proposal.

“Instead of negotiating with us fairly, this profitable crown corporation has been busy scaring businesses and the public off with threats of labour strife,” said Palecek. “They need to give that a rest and get back to the table with us.”

Closing its statement, the CUPW has said that it is “trying to stave off the demands for cuts, which include less secure pensions for new hires, and is also trying to get Canada Post to reinvent itself by expanding and innovating services as well as addressing wage inequities between rural and urban mail carriers”.