**** Via CUPW
Negotiations Update: CIRB Decision
Following the minister of Labour’s order on December 13, 2024, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) rendered its decision late last night. The minister ordered the CIRB to “Assess the likelihood of the parties reaching negotiated agreements by December 31, 2024, in the current circumstances.” If the CIRB was to determine that agreements were unlikely, it was to “order the Canada Post Corporation and all employees represented by the CUPW RSMC and CUPW UPO to resume and continue their operation and duties until May 22, 2025.”
In its decision, the CIRB determined that it was “unlikely that the parties will reach negotiated agreements by December 31, 2024” and ordered CPC and the employees of both bargaining units to “resume and continue their duties, in each case effective 8:00 a.m., local time, on December 17, 2024, until May 22, 2025.”
This decision is disappointing to say the least for CUPW and all of our members who made sacrifices to fight for what is right and our rights to negotiate improvements to our working conditions. CUPW will still challenge the constitutionality and the current application of section 107 by the Minister of Labour. Our challenges will be heard by the CIRB on January 13 and 14, 2025.
Furthermore, in its decision, the CIRB directed CPC to implement the wage increase of 5% that was part of their last offer for the first year of the collective agreements. This wage increase is a “baseline” wage increase, and the Union will still be in a position to negotiate an additional percentage wage increase for that same year during the period leading to May 22, 2025. This wage increase will apply to all paid hours going forward upon the return to work and will also be retroactive to January 1, 2024, for the RSMC bargaining unit and February 1, 2024, for the Urban bargaining unit.
In addition, CPC will pay to all regular employees from the Urban bargaining units and all route owners and Permanent Relief Employees (PRE) in the RSMC bargaining unit, a part of the retroactive payment in the amount of $1000 by December 24, 2024. They will also pay and amount of $500 to all Temporary workers in the Urban bargaining unit and On Call Relief Employees (OCRE) in the RSMC bargaining unit that have worked a thousand (1000) hours in 2024 by the same date.
These payments will constitute an advance on the full retroactivity of the 5% wage increase described above and the full amount will be paid to members no later than January 31, 2025.
