Canada Post and workers’ union CUPW say they have reached tentative agreements that will run until early 2029 if ratified by members.
The announcement suggests more than a year of active or threatened job action by tens of thousands of postal workers is set to come to an end.
Strike action a year ago closed post offices in the NWT and the rest of Canada. There was more disruption this fall.
The deals announced on Monday cover both the urban and rural-suburban bargaining units.
“The tentative agreements include higher wage increases, enhanced benefits and a weekend parcel delivery model,” Canada Post stated.
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The wage increases are 6.5 percent in year one and three percent in year two, followed by increases matching annual inflation for the remaining years.
“Postal workers have put up an enormous fight over the past two years. But in the face of repeated attacks from a federal government intent on stripping us of our rights to collective bargaining and an employer that wanted to gut our collective agreements, we stood strong,” CUPW stated.
Ratification votes will be held in the new year. Both parties said there will be no strike or lockout action in the meantime.
If the deals are ratified, there will still be some question marks over the future of mail in the North.
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In September, the federal government lifted a moratorium that for decades prevented some northern post offices from closing.
Some union representatives have suggested that means NWT post offices are under threat as a consequence. However, there’s no evidence yet that any post offices in the territory are being considered for closure.
Canada Post said any closures nationwide would be likely to affect post offices “that were once determined to be ‘rural’ [and] are now in urban or suburban areas with other post offices in nearby stores and pharmacies.”
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