Postal Workers Vow to Fight Back to Work Legislation

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Published November 27, 2018 at 3:02 am

canadapost

After weeks of rotating postal strikes, the federal government has officially passed legislation that will force striking Canada Post employees back to work.

In response, the Canadian Postal Workers Union (CUPW) says it vows to “keep fighting.”

In a recent news release, CUPW says it is “exploring all options” to fight the back-to-work legislation passed in the Senate this evening.

CUPW says the legislation will send workers “back to the same old unresolved problems in the workplace at the busiest time of the year.”

The federal government announced that it would be tabling back to work legislation last week, days after Canada Post said ongoing strikes could affect holiday season deliveries.

Labour Minister Patty Hajdu said the government wasn’t taking the move lightly.

“This ongoing work stoppage has had significant negative impacts on Canadians, businesses, international commerce, Canada Post, its workers and their families,” Hajdu wrote on Twitter.

“Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers, especially during the busy retail season. With Canadians and Canadian businesses feeling seriou impacts, our government is prepared to legislate a path forward to keep goods moving for Canadians.”

CUPW has expressed outrage at the legislation,

“Postal workers are rightly dismayed and outraged,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “This law violates of our right to free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

CUPW says the legislation will lead to at least 315 disabling injuries will happen to postal workers. It also says that rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) will work roughly 250,000 hours without pay and that urban postal workers will work thousands of hours of forced overtime.

CUPW says the Trudeau government has turned its back on postal workers.

“Postal workers will continue to defend our right to negotiate a settlement,” adds Palecek. “We know that an arbitrated contract will only prolong our problems with injuries, inequality, and overwork. If the Trudeau government thought that passing this legislation would end the dispute, they’ve made a mistake.”

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