The Canadian government is moving to end a nearly month-long postal workers’ strike that has disrupted mail delivery across the country ahead of the holidays.
On Friday, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon ordered the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to send Canada Post employees back to work if an agreement is not reached soon with their employer.
Around 55,000 postal workers began striking on 15 November over pay and working conditions. The two sides have since failed to reach an agreement, with federal mediators concluding a few weeks ago that negotiations were too far apart.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) denounced the government’s order “in the strongest terms”.
In a statement on Friday, the CUPW called the move an “assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike”.
Meanwhile, Canada Post said in a statement that it looks forward to welcoming its employees back to work and resuming its services.
The Crown corporation added that it remains committed to reaching a negotiated agreement with the union, but said it wants to do so while “also meeting the postal needs of Canadians.”
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board is expected to rule on Minister MacKinnon’s request next week.
The strike has impacted businesses during one of the biggest shopping periods of the year. With deliveries halted, inventory has sat in warehouses across the country while shipping costs have increased.
Lorne James, an Ontario business owner, told the BBC last week that he fears the strike is “going to wipe out a good number of businesses” due to steep financial losses.
In Canada’s northern communities – where Canada Post is the sole mail delivery provider – the strike has had a profound impact on those who rely on the postal service for the delivery of essentials, like medicine and cheque payments.
Service Canada has also reportedly withheld the delivery of 85,000 passports and other important documents while the strike is ongoing.
Announcing the order on Friday, Minister MacKinnon said “Canadians are rightly fed up” with the strike. He added that it is not a decision he takes lightly, “but in this situation, it is the right one.”
The order would ask striking employees to go back to work under their existing collective agreement until 22 May, by which then the minister hopes a new agreement will be in place.
The union has been trying to negotiate a wage increase of 19% over the next four years – higher than the 11.5% increase initially proposed by Canada Post. They are also negotiating issues around benefits, sick leave, job conditions and security.
“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,” the union has said.
CUPW national president Jan Simpson has since accused Canada Post of dragging its feet so the federal government can intervene. Meanwhile, Canada Post accused the union of increasing their demands instead of reaching a compromise.
When the strike began, Canada Post warned that its services would continue to be disrupted even if an agreement is reached due to backlogs in deliveries.
It added that it has already felt a financial impact, with customers switching to private competitors or stopping use of its services altogether as the strike is ongoing.
The last Canada post began in October 2018 and ended after more than a month when the federal government mandated that employees go back to work through legislation.
That job action cost Canada Post around C$135m ($96.7m; £76.27m).