Striking Canada Post workers are heading back to work this week after a weekend ruling by a labour board.
On Friday, the federal labour minister asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to step into the month-long strike.
MacKinnon asked the board board to assess whether the two sides could reach an agreement before the end of the year.
If the board considered this unlikely, he wanted it to order the striking employees back to work and to extend the terms of the current collective agreements until May 22, 2025.
In an update late Sunday evening, Canada Post said the board ruled over the weekend that the two sides are at an impasse.
“As a result, the CIRB has ordered employees to return to work and postal operations to begin to resume at 8 am local time on December 17, 2024,” the corporation said in a statement.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents the thousands of impacted workers, has not yet commented on the ruling.
But on Friday, the union denounced the labour minister’s actions, calling it an “assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike.”
More detailed information about Canada Post’s start-up plans will be made available at some point on Monday.
In the meantime, Canada Post said it put forward an offer to implement a wage increase of five per cent for employees while the bargaining process continues to unfold.
With both parties in agreement, the corporation said the retroactive portion will be paid out to current employees in two portions.
All regular employees will receive $1,000 before Christmas while temporary employees who have a minimum number of hours will get $500. The rest of the retroactive pay to be forwarded by the end of January.
In the meantime, an Industrial Inquiry Commission will be appointed by the federal government to examine the issues preventing the two sides from reaching an agreement.
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