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OTTAWA — Labour challenges with Canada Post are back in the headlines, as the union representing postal workers begins voting on a proposed five-year contract agreement.
About 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers can cast ballots from today through May 30 on whether to ratify the deal reached with the Crown corporation.
The vote follows more than two years of labour tensions, including multiple strikes, as both sides have clashed over wages and proposed structural changes to the postal service.
Workers are also voting on a strike mandate, which would authorize job action if the contract is rejected.
Canada Post and the union have agreed to avoid any strikes or lockouts during the voting period.
While about 60 per cent of the union’s national board has endorsed the agreement, saying it provides job security, union leadership is divided.
The union’s president is urging members to reject the deal, arguing it would roll back worker rights and compensation.
Canada Post has faced mounting financial pressures, reporting more than $5 billion in losses since 2018 as traditional letter mail declines and competition in parcel delivery intensifies.
The outcome of the vote could determine whether labour disruptions return to the national postal system later this year.
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