Canada Post Month Long Strike Ends as Workers Ordered Back on Job by Tuesday

Canada Post’s month-long strike, involving over 55,000 workers, will officially end on Tuesday, December 17, following a federal labour board ruling. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered postal employees to return to work after determining that negotiations had reached an impasse.

In a statement released late Sunday, Canada Post confirmed that postal operations will resume at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday. “After two days of hearings, the CIRB has issued its ruling confirming the parties are at an impasse,” the company said. Monday, December 16, marks the 32nd day of the strike, with postal services remaining suspended until operations restart.

Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon requested CIRB intervention on Friday, urging the board to issue a back-to-work order if it concurred with his assessment of the negotiation deadlock. MacKinnon emphasized the need for resolution, stating, “This decision is not one I take lightly. It is time to call a time out.”

On Monday, MacKinnon posted on X (formerly Twitter) that CIRB had mandated an extension of the current collective agreements until May 22, 2025. Additionally, an Industrial Inquiry Commission will review the underlying structural issues of the labour dispute and submit a report by May 15, 2025, to facilitate future negotiations.

The strike began on November 15, as members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) demanded wage increases, improved pensions, and better health benefits. Canada Post announced it will implement a 5% wage hike retroactive to December 31, 2023, for rural and suburban mail carriers, and January 31, 2024, for urban workers.

Despite these adjustments, CUPW strongly criticized the government’s intervention. “We denounce in the strongest terms this assault on our constitutionally protected right to free and fair collective bargaining and our right to strike,” the union said.

Canada Post said it looks forward to resuming services and will release detailed plans for restoring operations on Monday. The dispute highlights long-standing challenges between the Crown corporation and its workforce.

This marks the latest in a series of federal interventions in Canada Post strikes, following similar actions in 2011 and 2018 to safeguard essential services.