The federal government will introduce back to work legislation this afternoon to get striking Canada Post workers back to their jobs.
The Liberal government’s decision to speed up the process comes as November’s end marks important shopping and spending dates for Canadians; think Black Friday tomorrow, Cyber Monday next week, and the foreseeable Christmas and Hanuka season to name a few of the December holidays. The government and customers alike are losing their patience with Canada Post striking workers.
Labour Minister Patty Hajdu tabled the bill in the House of Commons this morning.
Hajdu said while the government did not relish the move, it was “extremely serious” about the legislation which was necessary because of the busy time of year when “Canadians are relying on smooth-running mail delivery service.”
At the same time, officials say the bill could still be yanked back if the union representing postal workers and Canada Post come to a deal on their own.
Postal workers have been without a contract for a year. The union refused to let its members vote on a time-sensitive offer put forward by Canada Post last week. It also rejected a request by Canada Post to pause the strikes over the holidays while returning to work with a mediator.
Canada Post has awarned customers of serious backlogs, which has shoppers turning to alternatives like UPS and FedEx.
