Postal talks break down, no further meetings scheduled

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Postal talks break down, no further meetings scheduled

Canada Post announced on Wednesday night that talks with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have "broken off."

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton told Postmedia News that talks had intensified in the past 72 hours, but that the two sides remain far apart on several bargaining issues.

"We cannot accept proposals that jeopardize our financial viability," Hamilton said.

He said the offer made to the union by Canada Post on June 9 is still more generous than what workers could expect to get for comparable work in the private sector, but that the union continues to come back with proposals that the Crown corporation "simply can't afford."

"We've been through a long process and to still be far apart is very frustrating," he said.

Hamilton said Canada Post remains open to negotiating a settlement but that no more meetings have been scheduled.

"There's still time to negotiate but discussions have to be about what's best for employees, our customers and the company."

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers could not be reached for comment.

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發表於 2011-6-23 07:11 | 只看該作者

Earlier Wednesday, the NDP said the party is ready to use every trick in the book to delay passage of back-to-work legislation, and help ensure locked-out Canada Post employees have as much time as possible to negotiate a settlement with their managers.

The Conservatives, who introduced a bill Monday to send the workers back to the job, are working to have it passed as quickly as possible.

Canada Post locked its employees out June 14, after 12 days of rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Less than a week later, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt tabled Bill C-6, which would force the employees back to work at wages lower than those proposed in a settlement offer the Crown corporation had on the table.

Opposition MPs have condemned the wage reductions specifically and the bill as a whole, saying it undermines the right to collective bargaining