The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Jobs and Families
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Re: Violation of Free and Fair Collective Bargaining for CUPW
Dear Minister Hajdu,
On behalf of the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU), the largest association of independent unions in the country, I am writing to express our strong and unequivocal opposition to your recent decision to force a vote on Canada Post’s final offer to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). This action is a clear affront to the fundamental rights of working people in this country and violates the principles of free and fair collective bargaining in the public sector.
Let me be clear: this is not just about a single dispute between an employer and a union. This is about the erosion of democratic rights for workers across Canada and the dangerous precedent your government is setting by siding with a Crown corporation that has continuously shown a lack of respect for its workers and the bargaining process. Forcing a vote on the employer’s final offer is not only inappropriate, it is a clear interference in collective bargaining and tips the balance of power even further in favour of the employer.
The right of workers to negotiate collectively and to decide on their own terms when to accept or reject a contract is enshrined in Canadian labour law and recognized under international labour standards. By using your ministerial authority to impose a vote on Canada Post’s final offer, you have undermined that right and sent a message to workers across the country that their voice doesn’t matter — that when negotiations don’t go the employer’s way, the federal government will step in and impose the outcome it prefers.
This is not the first time a federal government has intervened on behalf of Canada Post in a labour dispute. It has become a shameful pattern. We all remember the back-to-work legislation imposed in 2011 and again in 2018, both of which were condemned by labour organizations and international bodies, including the International Labour Organization (ILO). Each time the federal government intervenes to break the bargaining power of postal workers, it emboldens employers to stall negotiations and refuse to bargain in good faith, knowing the government will ultimately rescue them from accountability.
Your government was elected with a promise to uphold the rights of workers and to foster a stronger, more inclusive middle class. This decision stands in stark contrast to those promises. How can you claim to stand up for working families when you side with management over frontline workers who are fighting for better working conditions, safer workplaces, and decent wages?
Postal workers have been clear about their demands: fair compensation, improved staffing levels, protection from injury on the job, and preservation of vital public services. These are not radical or unreasonable goals. They are the bare minimum of what a government and public employer should be supporting in the first place. CUPW members have consistently delivered on their mandate to serve Canadians, often going above and beyond — as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic when postal workers were deemed essential and kept the country connected through an unprecedented crisis.
Instead of respecting their dedication and right to collective bargaining, your decision effectively pressures workers into accepting an offer they have already rejected. It delegitimizes their union and weakens their ability to organize and fight for improvements. Forcing a vote is not a neutral act — it is an act of coercion dressed in the language of democracy.
Let’s be clear: if this were truly about democracy and giving workers a say, then the federal government would never intervene in the collective bargaining process at all. It would trust the union — elected by its members — to represent their best interests. But in this case, your action undercuts that democratic process by bypassing the union’s role entirely and creating division among the workforce.
The CCU stands in full solidarity with CUPW and its members. We reject the paternalistic notion that the government knows what is best for working people. Workers are more than capable of making their own decisions through their chosen representatives, and they do not need — nor do they want — the government imposing votes at the behest of management.
Minister Hajdu, you have a responsibility not just to your title, but to the millions of workers across this country who expect you to stand on the side of fairness, equity, and justice. Instead of siding with Canada Post, you should be urging the Crown corporation to return to the table and negotiate in good faith, with a genuine commitment to reaching a fair agreement. That is the only path that respects both the legal rights of workers and the democratic principles upon which our labour relations system is built.
We call on you to immediately rescind your directive for a forced vote and to issue a public statement supporting the right of CUPW to negotiate a fair contract without government interference. Moreover, we urge your office to begin working with unions, not against them, in order to build the kind of just, equitable society you claim to support.
The workers of this country are watching. They will not forget who stood with them — and who stood in their way.
Sincerely,
Gregory Ball
President, Confederation of Canadian Unions
president@ccu-csc.ca
ccu-csc.ca
CC: Prime Minister Mark Carney
