Canada Post and the union representing thousands of mail carriers say they’ve reached agreements in principle after two years of difficult negotiations.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says both sides have agreed on the main parts of the new contracts, and rotating strikes are now paused while they finish writing the official contract language.
“We still need to finalize the wording that will become the collective agreements members will vote on,” the union said, adding that it is keeping the option to strike if needed.
Canada Post also confirmed the tentative deal, saying all strike and lockout actions are suspended for now.
However, if the two sides can’t agree on the exact contract language, a strike could start again — possibly during the busy holiday season.
The dispute has taken several major turns in recent years. CUPW has pushed for better wages and job security, while Canada Post has looked for changes to help fix its struggling business.
The union began a national strike in late September after the federal government announced major changes to Canada Post, including ending door-to-door delivery for the four million homes that still have it.
The government also plans to lift a ban on closing rural post offices, affecting nearly 4,000 locations.
The tentative deal comes as Canada Post reports the largest quarterly loss in its history, with the labour dispute adding pressure to long-standing problems in its business model.
