Canada Post workers went on strike early Friday after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says about 55,000 workers in the bargaining unit of the Urban, Rural and Suburban Postal Carrier (RSMC) are on strike and have made little progress in the bargaining process. announced that it was claiming.
“Canada Post had the opportunity to stop this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the problems postal workers face every day,” the union said in a statement.
“Instead, when Canada Post threatened to change our working conditions and put our members at risk of termination, they left us with no choice.”
The strike action comes ahead of Black Friday and the start of the holiday season, when Canadians rely on the postal service to send and receive gifts, packages and cards.
Canada Post announced in a statement early Friday morning that operations will be suspended, impacting millions of Canadians and businesses.
The Crown Corporation said no mail or parcels would be processed or delivered during the strike, and some post offices would be closed. Service guarantees for items already in the postal network will be affected and new items will not be accepted.
The corporation says once operations resume, mail and packages will be delivered on a first-come, first-served basis, but that “the national strike, regardless of its length, will continue to disrupt services for Canadians long after the strike action ends.” It will have an impact.”
Canada Post said earlier this week that progress in negotiations is “slow and missing key issues.” Both parties have begun negotiations toward a new contract effective November 15, 2023.
No other choice, says small business owner
Workers gave Canada Post 72 hours’ notice on Tuesday, as the Crown corporation warned that a potential strike would further impact an already dire financial situation.
Canada Post sent a lockout notice to the union soon after, but said it had no intention of locking out workers.
CUPW was in a legal strike position as of November 3, following a legally mandated cooling-off period. The union said more than 95% of urban and rural workers supported the mandate to strike in a vote last month.
Canada Post’s latest contract offer included annual wage increases of 11.5 per cent over four years. It also provided defined benefit pension protection for current employees, as well as job security and health benefits.
CUPW said that is not enough and that the two parties remain far apart on several issues.
“Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and expanded public post office services,” it said in a statement.
Federal Labor Minister Stephen McKinnon said in a post on social media platform said.
“We are making sure that these two groups have everything they need to reach an agreement.”
As with business interruptions at ports in British Columbia, the Minister of Labor or parties to a dispute may request a mediator under the Canada Labor Code.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) on Thursday called on the federal government to use all its powers, including binding arbitration and a return-to-work bill, to end the chaos.
The CFIB said in a statement that approximately 80 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada rely on Canada Post to ship goods, issue invoices and receive payments.
“There’s no alternative to letters, and that’s the majority of our shipments,” Rémi Vienneau-Leclair, owner of Moncton’s Comic Hunter, told CBC News. “You’re asking people if they want to pay $20 instead of $2. It’s not really an alternative.”
Meanwhile, Teamsters Canada said Purolator members will not handle packages that are postmarked or identified as coming from Canada Post.
Spokesman Christopher Monette said in an email prior to the strike announcement that CUPW has the full support of the Teamsters and believes good union jobs are an important pillar of Canadian society. Ta.
