Canada Post has issued a so-called “time-limited” contract offer to its employees, hoping to end the rotating walkouts that are causing delivery delays across the country.
According to a new report from CBC, the Canada Post’s offer came shortly after American multinational e-commerce corporation eBay requested the Canadian federal government to legislate an end to the current contract dispute plaguing Canada’s primary postal operator.
The four-year offer, explains the report, includes an annual two percent wage hike as well as signing bonuses of up to $1,000 CAD per employee. The proposal also includes job-security provisions as well as a $10 million health and safety fund.
However, these stipulations are only valid if the deal can be made before this year’s holiday shopping rush. As such, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) must accept the proposal by its deadline of Saturday, November 17.
CUPW spokesperson Emilie Tobin said late Wednesday afternoon that the union had just received the proposal. “The negotiating committee is currently reviewing the offers and we won’t have any comments until the review is complete,” she said to CBC.
Ebay called on the Canadian federal government Wednesday to put an end to the Canada Post contract dispute yesterday, stating that action was particularly important with Black Friday and Cyber Monday looming and warned of the effects it may have on Canadian businesses.
“Black Friday and Cyber Monday are critical sales opportunities for Canadian small and micro-retailers, particularly those that sell into the U.S. — the largest consumer market in the world,” said Ebay’s general manager of Canada and Latin America operations, Andrea Stairs, in a letter to Candian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“Should the Canada Post service disruptions continue through this key retail moment, these SMBs will be seriously disadvantaged in competing for U.S. demand.”
Canada Post said Wednesday it was facing an unprecedented backlog of shipments, including 260 trailers filled with parcels waiting to be unloaded at its Gateway processing plant in Toronto.
