Latest news with #CanadianUnion
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Canada Post, union disagree over taking 'five-minute wash-up time.' Here's what it is
As the possibility of a strike on Friday looms, the Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have several points that they cannot agree upon. Article content Article content The Crown Corporation received notice of a strike on Monday. It presented the union with new proposals for both of its bargaining units, Urban Postal Operation (UPO) and the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC), on Wednesday. The union said it would be reviewing the offers, and said it had extended a two-week truce to Canada Post. However, the corporation refused that request, and a strike on Friday remains a possibility. Article content Article content As the review of the proposals are underway, the union said later on Wednesday that the offers 'fall short.' Article content Article content Among remaining sticking points are weekend work, benefits, wages, dynamic routing, and load levelling. The union also said that Canada Post would be 'taking away the 5-minute wash-up time.' Canada Post echoed this statement in a summary of its new global for employees in the Urban unit. The corporation said: 'We're removing the 5-minute wash-up time before the meal period.' Article content Here's what to know. Article content Five-minute wash-up time refers to time when employees can get ready before they have a meal. Article content 'Employees shall, during working hours, be allowed five (5) minutes paid wash-up time before the meal period when the nature of their work makes it necessary,' according to the Agreement between Canada Post Corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Article content In a section about 'unproductive time' in Canada Post's written submission to the Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC) in February, the corporation says part of the Urban agreement allows for 'five minutes of paid wash-up time to allow employees to wash their hands before a meal period when the nature of their work makes it necessary.' The commission was created to examine the key issues between both parties with a series of public hearings. Article content Article content However, Canada Post has removed wash-up time from the new Urban offer currently under review. Article content Article content Rafael Gomez, University of Toronto professor and director of the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources, said in an emailed statement to National Post on Thursday that the issue 'only inflames members and makes it more likely we will have another strike.' Article content 'I guess management is saying, 'Any worker is free to wash up after a shift is done, but why should 'I' (i.e., the employer) be asked to pay if the shift is done? Wash up on your time…no one is stopping you,'' he said. Article content He continued: 'While on the other side, the union is saying, 'Remaining healthy and ready to work another shift IS something 'you' (i.e., the employer) should care about and hence pay for.''
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Canada Post receives strike notices from postal workers union
May 19 (Reuters) - Canada Post said on Monday it had received notices from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) indicating that the union would begin strike activity from Friday, days after the postal company paused contract negotiation talks. The strike notices were received from the CUPW's urban and rural bargaining units. In case of a nationwide strike, the postal company said it would not accept any new items until the disruption was over, and mail and parcels would not be delivered.
