Canada Post has rejected a request from the union representing about 55-thousand of its workers to send their ongoing labour dispute to binding arbitration.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers made the request on Saturday, saying it was inviting Canada Post to a fair, final and binding arbitration process to resolve negotiations that have dragged on for months without producing a new collective agreement.
The Crown corporation rejected the proposal Sunday, saying it wants to "restore stability'' to the service and binding arbitration would do the opposite.
Canada Post says it has asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to force a union membership vote on its latest proposals, which include a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and part-time staff on weekend shifts -- a major sticking point in talks.
A statement from CUPW Sunday evening said a forced union vote would not bring labour peace, and Canada Post's rejection shows the company "is not interested in a reasonable outcome to this round of negotiations.''
The union has been in a legal strike position as of May 23rd, but so far has opted to ban members from working overtime instead while negotiations continued