Canada Post has announced that operations will resume on Tuesday, December 17, at 8 a.m. local time, following a nationwide strike by postal workers that began on November 15.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued a return-to-work order after determining, during two days of hearings, that negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) had reached an impasse.
The CIRB has determined that Canada Post and CUPW are unlikely to reach an agreement by the end of the year. Consequently, the Board has ordered an extension of the current collective agreements and the immediate resumption of operations.
In a statement on X, Federal Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon declared: “An Industrial Inquiry Commission will examine the structural issues at the heart of this conflict and issue its report by May 15. This report will provide a strong foundation for both parties to negotiate new collective agreements.”
The strike, involving approximately 55,000 postal workers, disrupted mail and parcel services across the country during a critical holiday shipping period. CUPW initiated the strike in response to stalled contract negotiations, demanding better wages and improved working conditions.
The federal government invoked Section 107 of the Labour Code on Friday, directing the CIRB to issue the back-to-work order and impose binding arbitration. This marked the latest use of these powers by Ottawa, which earlier this year intervened in labor disputes involving the country’s railways and ports.
In response to the strike, Canada Post has agreed to implement a 5% wage increase retroactive to the day after the collective agreements expired. However, the CIRB’s intervention highlights the unresolved and contentious issues that led to the work stoppage.
At the time of the strike, CUPW’s demands included wage increases aligned with inflation, enhanced group benefits such as coverage for fertility treatments and gender-affirming care, stronger protections against job losses caused by technological changes, additional paid medical leave, paid meal and rest periods, and increased short-term disability payments.
During the strike, CUPW accused Canada Post of neglecting key issues faced by workers. “Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the issues postal workers face every day. Instead, Canada Post left us no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members exposed to layoffs,” the union said in a statement.
The union emphasized that its demands were fair. “Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office,” CUPW added.
While the return-to-work order signals a temporary resolution, tensions between Canada Post and CUPW remain unresolved. As operations resume, both parties are expected to continue discussions in the coming weeks to address the outstanding issues that fueled the strike.
The immediate priority for Canada Post will be clearing the backlog of mail and parcels caused by the strike, ensuring Canadians receive their holiday deliveries on time. However, the long-term challenge lies in finding lasting solutions to the labor disputes that continue to affect the national postal service.
