Postal employees head back to work as union challenges intervention in strike

OTTAWA –

Canada Post is resuming operations after a month-long strike by more than 55,000 postal workers left letters and parcels in limbo.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered postal workers back on the job after holding hearings over the weekend to determine whether they were too far apart to reach a deal by the end of 2024.

The hearings came after a directive from Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, who said Friday he was giving the two sides a “timeout” as negotiations seemed to have stalled.

However, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is challenging the intervention into the strike, and says the labour board is set to hear its challenges mid-January.

The government is already facing legal challenges to its similar interventions in other recent high-profile labour disputes.

Canada Post warns customers should expect delays as it works through backlogs, and that delays could persist into the new year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2024.