The clock is ticking for Canada Post and its workers union to reach an agreement to avoid a possible work stoppage.
Canada Post has said it intends to continue operating despite having issued a lockout notice to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which has served its own strike notices to both the urban operations unit and the of rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC). .
“Canada Post has notified the union that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday,” Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu told Global News on Tuesday.
Liu said it was necessary to submit the notice to the union and the Minister of Labor to “make changes to our operations starting Friday, if necessary.”
The union will also be in a legal position to begin strike activity beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, but it is unclear what the job action might look like.
In issuing its own 72-hour strike notices Tuesday morning, the CUPW did not say whether workers would walk away from their jobs.
Both sides have been in talks for almost a year in an attempt to reach collective agreements.
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Canada Post says the impending job action could affect millions of Canadians and businesses that rely on its service.
Amid the uncertainty of a work stoppage at the national postal service, other courier services are already preparing for an influx of deliveries and drawing up contingency plans.
The potential work stoppage has retailers, especially small businesses, worried ahead of the busy holiday season.
“This is one of the leading package delivery providers for retail, and it couldn’t come at a worse time during the holiday season,” Matt Poirier, vice-president of federal government relations at the Retail Council of Canada, told Global News. . in an interview on Wednesday.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said Thursday it is disappointed by the possibility of another work stoppage affecting small businesses, and urged both sides to reach an agreement.
“Small businesses depend on a reliable postal service and need the mail and package delivery service provided by Canada Post to remain fully operational,” Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy at CFIB, said in a statement.
If a work stoppage occurs, it won’t be the first time for Canada Post, with the most recent rotating strikes taking place in 2008 and 2011.
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