Canada Post forced back to work1
BY MARK DUNN ,SENIOR NATIONAL REPORTER
OTTAWA - Mail service will resume early this week after a 58-hour Opposition filibuster ended Saturday night when MPs passed a contentious bill to end a national postal disruption.
The bill still needs to be rubber-stamped by the Senate and given Royal Assent - a process that begins Sunday. Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in the Commons mail would begin moving 24 hours after that.
The dispute pitted worker's collective bargaining rights against the government's refusal to cow to labour and highlighted the ideological polarization of the current configuration of Parliament between the governing Conservatives and Opposition New Democrats.
The forecast of the filibuster's defeat came after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers asked the NDP to salvage what it could from back-to-work legislation after new talks between the union and Canada Post broke down to end the lockout-strike.
The Conservatives rejected amendments the union asked the NDP to bring forward and voted 158-113 to pass Bill C-6.
Meetings between federal mediators and conciliators at the insistence of Raitt earlier Saturday had also collapsed when Canada Post refused to budge from its position.
Union president Denis Lemelin told NDP Leader Jack Layton in a letter that the union was throwing in the towel because of what he described as an "intransigent" employer.
"Given these circumstances, we believe it would be appropriate for you to introduce amendments which would at least remove the most offensive aspects of this legislation," Lemelin wrote.
The union wanted an imposed wage settlement in the bill changed to reflect the better offer that was on the table before negotiations broke off last Wednesday.
It also wanted language changed that gives an arbitrator wide powers.
It also wanted language changed that gives an arbitrator wide powers.
A spokeswoman for the corporation said no future talks are planned.
"We had a meeting with the union ... and it was clear that we remain far, far apart on several issues," said Anick Losier.
The NDP began its filibuster - a procedural stalling tactic -Thursday night to obstruct the bill. The NDP has also said it wanted to delay its passage to give the union and corporation a window to reach a deal outside of Parliament.
Mark.Dunn@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: MarkDunnSun
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