Government Intervention in Labor Disputes

More than 55,000 members from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers remain on strike and at an impasse with Canada Post, after negotiations broke down. Issues of wage increases and usage of gig workers are at the heart of the dispute and the two sides remain far apart. But in recent strikes involving public sector workers, that didn’t seem to matter — not when the federal government can intervene and send them back to work.

As postal workers enter the third week of striking, will the federal government soon step in? And what does this strike say about the labour movement right now and unions’ right to strike in Canada?

Vanmala Subramaniam, The Globe’s Future of Work reporter, is on the show to talk about the latest on the Canada Post strike, how it fits with other essential services taking work action and how governments intervene in work stoppages.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com