Canada Post’s Suspension of Unvaccinated Remote Workers During Pandemic Was ‘Unreasonable,’ Arbitrator Rules

The Canada Post logo is seen on the outside the company's Pacific Processing Centre, in Richmond, B.C., on June 1, 2017. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

An arbitrator has revoked part of Canada Post’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for employees, ruling it was “unreasonable” to suspend remote staff without pay for not confirming their vaccination status.

The ruling comes in response to a case filed by the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE). The union argued that the stated objective of federal vaccine mandates—to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace—was not served by requiring that remote workers be vaccinated.