It’s Time For Secure Regular Jobs Instead Of Precarious Work

Friday September 28 2018

The federal government has identified the problems associated with precarious employment but Canada Post, a Crown Corporation, is doing nothing about improving the reality of the thousands of temporary workers.

What makes the work of temporary employees precarious?

No guarantee of hours
No guarantee of income
No job security
No timetable for regular employment
Lower wages

CUPW Fights for Regular Employment

For decades CUPW has fought to ensure that temporary and part-time employees can have the opportunity for regular full-time employment. Staffing was one of the major issues in the strike of 1997. In 2000, we negotiated Appendix “P” of the Urban collective agreement which provides for a minimum adjusted ratio of 78% full-time hours in Group 1.

CPC Violates the Contract

Initially Appendix P worked and over 1000 full-time jobs were created by converting part-time and temporary hours. But beginning in 2013, after the arrival of Deepak Chopra and the election of the majority Conservative government, Canada Post management just stopped honouring the collective agreement. For the past five years they have been knowingly and deliberately violating Appendix “P”.

Appendix “P”: Group 1 Staffing 2012-2017

Year	Full-time adjusted ratio	Violation of Collective Agreement	Actual Full-time Hours Paid
2017	76.02%	VIOLATION	70.03%
2016	74.72%	VIOLATION	68.52%
2015	73.64%	VIOLATION	67.82 %
2014	75.83%	VIOLATION	70.16%
2013	77.97%	VIOLATION	72.50%
2012	78.14%	NO VIOLATION	72.58%

The result of these repeated violations is that very many CUPW members have been denied their right to secure, regular full-time employment.

CUPW Has Solutions

In the current negotiations CUPW has made practical and realistic proposals which would provide many more full-time positions while ensuring CPC remains efficient.

Initially we thought we were making progress at the bargaining table. However management’s Global Offer failed to reflect this progress. It appears that the employer prefers to pay temporary workers low wages rather than create secure jobs.

Postal workers cannot and will not tolerate the consistent and deliberate violations of our rights to decent regular full-time jobs.