Canada Post union calls for 30-day truce for talks without strike or lockout

OTTAWA – Canada Post's union is calling for a 30-day truce to allow the two sides to negotiate a new contract without a strike or lockout.

The postal service has given notice that it will lock out the unionized employees starting Monday if there's no deal.

But the Canadian Union of Postal Workers says a cooling off period would keep the mail moving under the old contract while "intensive negotiations" continue.

As recently as Thursday, the two sides appeared to be far apart on several major issues after seven months of negotiations.

Canada Post had initially said it would lock out the 50,000 unionized employees today but later extended the deadline to Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET.

CUPW said it filed a formal complaint Wednesday alleging that Canada Post has refused to negotiate fairly but says it would withdraw that if the company agrees to the 30-day extension.