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Arbitrator Orders Canada Post to Postpone Closure of Quebec City Processing Plant |
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Written by CUPW
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Thursday, 02 February 2006 |
In a landmark decision, Arbitrator Guy Dulude has ordered the "suspension and postponement" of any further action toward the closure of the mail processing plant in Quebec City.
Dulude, one of Canada's most respected arbitrators, ruled that Canada Post had violated postal workers' collective agreement by not releasing adequate information or consulting with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) about the Quebec City closure.
"This is a tremendous victory," said Deborah Bourque, President of CUPW. "Major decisions like the Quebec City closure need to be transparent. The public and postal workers have a right to be involved," said Bourque.
CUPW is calling on the prime-minister-designate, Stephen Harper, to instruct Canada Post to stop the closure of the Quebec City Processing Plant. The Conservative Party has stated its opposition to the closure and pledged to review the decision.
Canada Post announced the Quebec City closure August 3 with little notice or consultation with the public or postal workers even though they were considering the closure as early as November 2004, nine months earlier. Brian Pallister, former post office critic for the Conservative Party, has stated "it is unthinkable to us that the Montreal centre alone can provide consistent service quality across the province."
Over 130,000 people have signed a petition stating their opposition to the plant closure in Quebec City. More than 800 municipalities have also passed resolutions calling for Canada Post to consult with the public, postal unions and other major stakeholders "to develop a uniform and democratic process for making changes to Canada Post's network. I think it is fair to say that people expect much more transparency and accountability from Canada Post," said Bourque. |
