November 22, 2018

Canada Post and Trudeau Government
Provoke a Crisis in Relations of Production

Negotiate Don't Dictate!
No to the Criminalization of Workers' Struggles for their Rights!

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Rotating postal strike in Kelowna.

Canada Post and Trudeau Government Provoke a
Crisis in Relations of Production
• Negotiate Don't Dictate! No to the Criminalization of Workers' Struggles for their Rights!
• Postal Workers Reject Government Threats and Stand Firmly Behind their Demands - Louis Lang

For Your Information
• Trudeau Government's Anti-Worker Notice Paper
• Canada Post's Take-It-or-Face-Criminalization Proposal

Photo Review
• Rotating Strikes Continue

Canada Post and Trudeau Government
Provoke a Crisis in Relations of Production

Negotiate Don't Dictate! No to the Criminalization of Workers' Struggles for their Rights!

The Trudeau government has issued a Notice Paper in Parliament to criminalize postal workers' right to negotiate their terms of employment. The Notice of back-to-work legislation includes closure to force its passage within the afternoon when introduced. This back-to-work order placed on the agenda of the Parliament of Canada deprives postal workers of their right to negotiate a collective agreement regarding their terms of employment in a calm and fair atmosphere between the collective of postal employees and their employer, which includes the right of workers to engage in job actions to prod their employer to negotiate.

Deliberately leading to this situation, Canada Post for a year has used threats and ultimatums without any attempt to engage in what union members determine as free and fair bargaining. The union has put forward items for negotiations and has supplied objective details for consideration reflecting the necessity for new terms of employment to address the issues. The executives in charge of Canada Post have refused to even respond to the items of concern. Their refusal has imposed a regime of non-negotiations. If an employer refuses to negotiate terms of employment to address problems, this forces workers to take job actions to reach new terms of employment that address the problems workers have posed for solution.

Canada Post's recent ultimatum reflects the stance it has used for the last year. It can only mean that those in control have been waiting for Trudeau to intervene and criminalize the workers for sticking to their demands. The government is by no means neutral between the collective of postal employees and their employer. Legislation to criminalize the right of workers to negotiate their terms of employment puts the relations of production between the working class and those who buy their capacity to work into a serious crisis. It also makes a mockery of the claim of the Trudeau Liberals to be democratic and those who can be trusted to uphold the rights which belong to the people by virtue of their being.

Working people cannot and will not accept the criminalization of their right to negotiate their terms of employment. Unfortunately, the Trudeau Liberal government is not bothering to even consider whether it wants to deepen this crisis in relations between employees and employers. Working people in this modern age will never accept dictates on the part of oligarchs who buy workers' capacity to work yet refuse to negotiate the terms of the sale and subsequent employment.

In particular, working people will never accept the use of the authority of the state not to assist in harmonizing relations between the two main social classes but instead to drive them into an impasse with legislation criminalizing negotiations and legalizing the dictate of the oligarchs. This use of state authority to deepen the gulf and contradiction between the working class and employers is unacceptable. The entire organized and non-organized working class is watching and will respond to Trudeau's anti-worker legislation with greater mobilization and actions with analysis to forge a new direction in relations of production and politics that favour the working people.

Postal Workers Reject Government Threats and
Stand Firmly Behind their Demands

- Louis Lang -

As postal workers across the country carry out rotating strikes to back their just demands, Canada Post at the direction of the Trudeau government continues its refusal to engage in negotiations in good faith.

The union has proposed to resolve outstanding problems in health and safety, overburdening of workers, the issue of Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) to be paid for all hours worked, and insecurity arising from threats of precarious work with the introduction of "flex positions." The corporation has ignored these serious proposals and refuses even to discuss them. Instead, company executives have engaged in threats and ultimatums for workers to end their job actions and agree to terms of employment it knows postal workers cannot accept. (See below Canada Post's recent take-it-or-face-criminalization proposal.)

The corporation's actions have been to ignore the just demands of the workers as if they do not exist and instead use threats of a lock-out or government legislation to criminalize postal workers and force them to give up their demands and accept roll-backs.

As far as Canada Post and the Trudeau government are concerned, workers' rights and free collective bargaining simply do not exist. Following the direction of the Trudeau government, Canada Post is dismantling those parts of the existing collective agreement that contain rights the workers have won after many years of struggle and sacrifice.

The Trudeau government pretends that Canada Post is acting on its own, hiding the truth that postal workers are facing the full executive powers of the federal Cabinet. The executive powers of government select and keep in power Canada Post management and policies agreeable to the ruling financial oligarchy.

The empty statements of the Prime Minister urging both sides "to resolve their differences quickly and reach a deal" are pure Liberal hypocrisy. Where has Trudeau been for the past year while Canada Post has stonewalled the workers? The issues of health and safety, overburdening, looming precarious work and unresolved problems of RSMCs not receiving proper pay are well known and documented. The corporation's latest ultimatum for workers to give up their demands and accept its dictate showed no intent whatsoever to engage in serious negotiations and "resolve differences quickly."

Trudeau claims to be arms-length from negotiations but continually threatened workers that "all options are on the table" if they do not stop their rotating strikes and give up their demands. Everyone knows this means legislation to criminalize workers' right to strike and force workers to give up negotiations and accept an arbitrator's decision.

Trudeau made pious statements during the last election saying he is committed to "respecting labour," is not "heavy handed" and prone to interfere in relations and negotiations between workers and their employers for which he criticized the Harper government. This posturing was intended to fool the gullible for when it comes to workers fighting for their rights the real ruthless character of the Liberal government is revealed.

The farce of negotiations with Canada Post has reached a climax. The corporation and the Trudeau government are combining and plotting to create a crisis arising from their refusal to negotiate with postal workers. Their plan from the beginning was to attack the rights of postal workers to strike and have a say on their working conditions through meaningful negotiations with their employer.

The government presents workers with unacceptable choices that are in direct contradiction with their right to relations of production that uphold workers' collective right to negotiate in good faith their terms of employment with the aim to resolve problems that are widely recognized and known. Workers have been told for a year not to engage in job actions but rather accept the proposals of the corporation and have a contract imposed through binding arbitration either willingly or face Trudeau's back-to-work legislation. Canada Post and Trudeau are working to deprive postal workers of their right to negotiate their terms of employment.

Postal workers have not hesitated one second in rejecting the proposals and arrogance of the corporation and the criminalization that the government is imposing on them. The rotating strikes have continued despite all the threats from the ruling oligarchs.

In a press release on November 19, CUPW National President Mike Palacek stated, "We will not accept binding arbitration to resolve our issues with Canada Post. We have the right to collective bargaining and to settle this through negotiations."

The just demands of the workers to address the high rate of debilitating injuries, the right of RSMCs to pay for all hours worked, the elimination of the overburdening of letter carriers and stopping the corporation from increasing precarious employment for inside workers deserve the full support of all Canadians.

For Your Information

Trudeau Government's Anti-Worker Notice Paper

NOTICE PAPER
No. 355
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
2:00 p.m.

Introduction of Government Bills

November 20, 2018 -- The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour -- Bill entitled "An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of postal services."

Her Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances, in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled "An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of postal services".

[...]

Government Business

No. 25 -- November 20, 2018 -- The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons -- That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, a bill in the name of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, entitled An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of postal services, shall be disposed of as follows:

(a) the said bill may be read twice or thrice in one sitting;

(b) not more than two hours shall be allotted for the consideration of the second reading stage of the said bill, following the adoption of this Order;

(c) when the bill has been read a second time, it shall be referred to a Committee of the Whole;

(d) any division requested in the Committee shall be deferred until the end of the Committee's consideration of the Bill;

(e) not more than one hour shall be allotted for the consideration of the Committee of the Whole stage of the said bill;

(f) not more than one half hour shall be allotted for the consideration of the third reading stage of the said bill, provided that no Member shall speak for more than ten minutes at a time during the said stage and that no period for questions and comments be permitted following each Member's speech;

(g) at the expiry of the times provided for in this Order, any proceedings before the House or the Committee of the Whole shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the stage, then under consideration, of the said bill shall be put and disposed of forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment, and no division shall be deferred;

(h) when the Speaker has, for the purposes of this Order, interrupted any proceeding for the purpose of putting forthwith the question on any business then before the House, the bells to call in the Members shall ring for not more than thirty minutes;

(i) commencing when the said bill is read a first time and concluding when the said bill is read a third time, the House shall not adjourn except pursuant to a motion proposed by a Minister of the Crown;

(j) no motion to adjourn the debate at any stage of the said bill may be proposed except by a Minister of the Crown; and

(k) during the consideration of the said bill in the Committee of the Whole, no motion that the Committee rise or that the Committee report progress may be proposed except by a Minister of the Crown.

[...]

Canada Post's Take-It-or-Face-Criminalization
Proposal

The following proposal of Canada Post clearly shows that it has no intention of negotiating with its employees. None of the concerns of postal workers is included in the so-called proposal, which even contains an insulting bribe. Canadian Union of Postal Workers' (CUPW) leaders firmly rejected the proposal with contempt.

The so-called proposal:

- A cooling-off period, effective immediately and lasting until January 31, 2019, which is past the holiday peak volumes, as well as high volumes driven by Boxing Day sales and the return of holiday purchases in January. During the cooling-off period, CUPW would not strike or take any other job action, and the Corporation would not lock out employees;

- Immediately starting further mediation with a jointly-agreed, government-appointed mediator until the end of the cooling-off period;

- A special payment of up to $1,000 for CUPW-represented employees that would be paid at the end of January if there is no labour disruption before the cooling-off period ends;

- To reinstate both collective agreements with CUPW, including all employee benefits, for the duration of the cooling-off period;

- If agreements have not been reached by January 31, the mediator would submit recommendations for settlement. If they are not adopted by the parties, binding arbitration would be introduced.

Photo Review

Rotating Strikes Continue

Across the country, postal workers are militantly continuing their rotating strikes. Below are photos from actions held from November 6-16.

Carbonear; Benoit's Cove, Newfoundland


Deer Lake, Newfoundland


Goose Bay; Wabush City, Labrador


Port Hood, Nova Scotia


New Glasgow, Nova Scotia


Liverpool, Nova Scotia


Yarmouth, Nova Scotia


Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec


Beloeil-St. Bruno-Ste. Julie, Quebec


Chabenel, Montreal, Quebec


Duvernay, Laval, Quebec


Montreal North, Quebec


Cornwall, Ontario


Trenton, Ontario


Pembroke, Ontario


Napanee, Ontario


Bobcaygeon, Ontario


Lindsay, Ontario


Scarborough, Ontario


Toronto, Ontario


Niagara Falls, Ontario


Windsor, Ontario


Amherstburg, Ontario


Milton, Ontario


Newmarket, Ontario


Barrie, Ontario


Wasaga Beach, Ontario


Georgetown, Ontario


Orillia, Ontario


Muskoka; Kirkland Lake, Ontario


New Liskeard, Ontario


Cranbrook, BC


Kamloops, BC


Vancouver, BC


Victoria, BC


Prince Rupert, BC

(Photos: CUPW, TML)

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