The Postal Workers Union said about 55,000 of its members are now on strike. He maintained that little progress has been made in the negotiation process.
“Canada Post could have prevented this strike, but it refused to negotiate real solutions to the problems our members face every day.”
-Postal Workers Union by press release
“Instead, Canada Post left us no choice by threatening to change our working conditions and expose our members to layoffs,” we added.
The union had filed a 72-hour strike notice earlier this week, putting it in a position to walk out at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Its demands concern, among other things, salaries, working conditions, the right to retire “with dignity” and the diversification of services offered by the public postal service.
“The strike is a measure of last resort. We still have hope of obtaining negotiated collective agreements, but to do this, Canada Post must want to resolve our problems, whether recent or long-standing,” the union underlined in its press release.
In response to the strike notice, Canada Post sent the union a notice of lockout, while indicating that it did not intend to use it.
What are the impacts?
Early Friday, the Crown corporation released its own statement, in which it confirmed that “Canada Post will cease operations during (the) national strike, which will affect businesses and millions of people across the country.”
“There will be delays due to the strike. Mail and packages will not be processed or delivered during the national strike and some post offices will be closed. Service guarantees will be affected for items already in the postal network. No new articles will be accepted until the end of the nationwide work stoppage,” it was mentioned.
Canada Post has explained that mail and packages currently in its network will be secure, and will be delivered when operations resume on a first-in, first-out basis.
“However, a national strike, no matter how long, will impact service long after the strike ends. The closure of facilities across the country will impact Canada Post’s entire national network. It may take some time for processing and delivery to return to normal,” it was warned.
Canada Post and the union previously agreed to continue delivering social benefit checks from government agencies even during a strike. Checks for the month of November will be delivered next Wednesday.
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