Canada Post, CUPW reach tentative deal

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements after months of talks.

Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached “voluntarily,” but is giving no other details about the deals themselves.

The talks were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by CUP-W.

The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.

Canada Post describes the tentative agreements as short-term and they still must be ratified by union members.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post’s largest union, representing more than 50 thousand postal workers.

Pension issues and differences in pay for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers were a major sticking point the talks.

Canada Post and CUP-W both say they will not release details until employees ratify the agreement.