A full strike or lockout at Canada Post could start as early as November 3

With the Christmas season on the horizon, many of us may be surprised to hear that Canada Post workers could be on strike or locked out as early as November 3.

The crown corporation and the employees’ union, CUPW, have been negotiating for months, and with a stalemate, the federal government recently appointed mediators to assist.

According to the announcement this week from Canada Post, “The mediators will assist the parties in the negotiations and support discussions toward reaching negotiated agreements.”

The parties remain in a “21-day cooling-off period that ends on November 2” as part of proceedings under the Canada Labour Code.

There is also a requirement for minimum notice of 72 hours from the union or corporation should either side drop the hammer on a work stoppage. A full labour disruption is possible depending on actions taken by the parties, as all urban and rural workers remain without a contract.

If you have overseas mail and parcels to send, you may want to do that as soon as possible.

The corporation has a website available for updates.