TORONTO (AP) — Canada Post said operations at its national postal service will resume Tuesday after the nearly month-long work stoppage.
Workers went on strike after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with Canada’s main postal service on key issues including wages, job security and staffing for a proposed expansion into weekend delivery.
The federal government decided Friday to end the strike after Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon announced he would refer the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, an independent administrative tribunal focused on resolving workplace disputes.
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However, the board determined late Sunday that negotiations had reached an impasse after two days of hearings and ordered the nearly 55,000 employees to return to work. This also extends the current collective labor agreement until May 22, 2025.
Canada Post said it has agreed with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to implement a 5% wage increase retroactive to the day after the collective agreement expires.
The labor minister had previously rejected calls for Ottawa to intervene, saying it was up to the two sides to reach a deal. But he said Canadians — especially small businesses, people in remote communities and Indigenous peoples — have suffered immensely from the strike.
MacKinnon noted that Canada Post was built to deliver letters, but its volume has dropped dramatically and there is a highly competitive market for parcel delivery.
