OTTAWA — Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months. In a statement, Mihychuk says the agreements were reached “voluntarily,” but provides no other details about the deals themselves. The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides. The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.

Source: National Post August 30, 2016 22:18 UTC