A mediator has finally been appointed to help bring an end to the labour dispute between Canada Post and its employees.
Elizabeth MacPherson, a former chair of the Canada Industrial Relations Board, will have up to 14 days to try to reach negotiated contract settlements between the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides have not been at the bargaining table since the Trudeau Liberals brought in a back-to-work bill to halt the rotating walkouts.
Bill C-89, which was passed into law Nov. 27, included provisions for the government to appoint a mediator with a mandate to bring the two sides together.
Failing an agreement between the Crown corporation and CUPW, the mediator will have the authority to impose a settlement through binding arbitration.
The rotating strikes created havoc with the country's postal system and caused delivery delays that are expected to continue through January.
The federal government legislated an end to the job action two weeks ago, but the backlog of parcels is going to take weeks to process with delays anticapted into the new year.