The federal government has referred the Canada Post labour dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which has the power to order all 55,000 affected people back to work.
A strike began almost a month ago.
On Friday, rural economic development minister Gudie Hutchings told Cabin Radio her colleague Steven MacKinnon, the labour minister, had “made the difficult decision to ask the industrial relations board to extend the current working agreement with the union until May of 2025, to get the Canada Post workers back to work.”
“I’m from a remote rural area, not quite as remote as yours, but I still have a lot of communities that rely on Canada Post,” said Hutchings, who represents Long Range Mountains – the west coast of Newfoundland – in the House of Commons.
“I know it’s somebody probably waiting for their glasses that were put in the mail, or they’ve ordered some other important things to come by post. So you’ll be seeing them back to work.”
The board must first decide negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are at an impasse before workers can be ordered to return.
However, that appears to be the outcome both Hutchings and the union envisage.
“This order continues a deeply troubling pattern in which successive federal governments have used back-to-work legislation or, in this case, its arbitrary powers to let employers off the hook from bargaining in good faith,” CUPW said in a statement.
“What employer would move on anything when they know the government will bail them out? Once again, the government has chosen capital over workers by taking away our leverage to get a good deal.
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“This is a rapidly developing situation, and we have yet to receive the order. What we do know is that postal workers could be forced to return to work without new negotiated collective agreements in place.”
The union said it had been told the industrial relations board could hold a hearing as soon as this weekend.
Canada Post said it was “reviewing the details” of labour minister MacKinnon’s announcement.
“We look forward to welcoming our employees back to work and serving Canadians and customers. We will take all appropriate steps to support that process as quickly as possible given the direction provided to us by the minister,” the company said.
Negotiations had been suspended by a federally appointed mediator in late November, who said at the time there was no point in continuing while the two sides remained so far apart.
The union has said it wants wage increases that match inflation, better benefits, protection against some forms of technological change and better leave arrangements among other proposals.
Canada Post has said it is offering a “competitive” wage increase while advancing proposals to offer seven-day-a-week parcel delivery and more competitive pricing. It says changes are “essential for the future of the company.”
Hutchings told Cabin Radio her government’s members “still respect the collective bargaining position but we know the best deals come when everybody’s at the table, working things out.”
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“We know how tough this has been on businesses and individuals, especially in rural and remote communities,” she said.
“That’s why Minister McKinnon has gone to the industrial relations board to get things moving, especially for the holiday season coming.”
Even late last month, Yellowknife postal workers on the picket line said they felt all hope of rescuing holiday mail in the NWT had gone.
At the best of times, mid-December would be pushing it for delivery from the territory to the south of Canada and beyond.
In the meantime, some courier services have also suspended or delayed deliveries as they struggle under the weight of extra demand in Canada Post’s absence.
Multiple NWT communities have reported concern about the delivery of vital items like medication as the strike continues.