Canada Post union set for meeting with Ottawa as strike stretches on

The union representing striking Canada Post employees says it will meet with the federal minister in charge of the Crown corporation after accusing Ottawa of trampling on the collective bargaining process.

Postal workers took to the picket lines nearly two weeks ago after Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound announced sweeping changes to Canada Post's mandate that would allow the struggling postal service to overhaul its operations in the midst of negotiations with the union.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is asking the minister to roll back the changes that include permitting the end of daily mail delivery, the expansion of community mailboxes and the closure of some rural post offices.

The union says Ottawa's changes would hurt the long-term future of the postal service and argues government intervention has been unhelpful nearly two years into the bargaining process.

Canada Post has welcomed the minister's changes amid stark financial challenges facing the Crown corporation and tabled new proposals last week that the union called a step back from previous offers.

The union says this evening's meeting will be its first in-person with Lightbound and will focus on Ottawa's mandate changes and Canada Post's latest proposals, which kept wage offers steady but introduced provisions related to expected job cuts.