The Liberal government has introduced legislation to force an end to rotating strikes by Canada Post employees.
Labour Minister Patty Hajdu tabled the bill in the House of Commons Thursday, just one day after a special mediator was re-appointed in an effort to reach contract agreements between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
Union members have been holding rotating-strikes for a month in an effort to back their contract demands, causing massive backlogs of unsorted mail and packages at postal depots.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to see a negotiated settlement, but Canadians are worried the labour dispute will affect the holiday season. According to the statement, businesses that ship merchandise by post have also asked the government to intervene before it's too deep into the Christmas shopping season.
The union has warned of a legal battle if the federal government passes the back-to-work legislation, calling such a move unconstitutional.
Thousands of workers have stopped processing and delivering mail for a day at a time in communities across the country for the past five weeks. The Crown corporation has said clearing the backlog, especially at major sorting centres in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, could last well into 2019.