Canada Post workers could strike as early as Sunday
Negotiations continuing between corporation, union
Nunavummiut dependent on Canada Post for federal and territorial benefits should brace for the possibility of service disruptions as early as Monday. (File photo)
With unionized Canada Post workers in a position to strike as soon as Sunday, the corporation is warning a labour disruption would have significant consequences for customers and deepen its already serious financial situation.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been negotiating a new contract since Nov. 15, 2023.
In October, the union informed Canada Post of its strike mandate after the two main bargaining units representing urban and rural workers each voted more than 95 per cent in favour of a strike if necessary.
Since then, the two parties have been negotiating in a 21-day cooling off period, which expires Saturday.
With the clear mandate from its membership, the union could take strike action as early as Sunday.
The union is advocating for what it called fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to retire with dignity, in a news release Monday.
On Wednesday, Canada Post raised its previous offer of a wage increase by 1.5 per cent in 2024, bringing the total offer to an 11.97 per cent increase over four years, Jan Simpson, national president for the union, said in a news release.
The offer, she said, “is far from what we are demanding and deserve.”
The last time postal workers went on strike, in 2018, the union opted for rotating pickets across five Canadian cities. The strike ended after the federal government passed back to work legislation forcing employees to return to work after five weeks.
Many Nunavummiut rely on Canada Post for Service Canada benefits and services such as federal pensions, disability benefits and employment insurance. It is unclear what will happen to those services if a postal strike affects Nunavut.
In a news release Wednesday, Canada Post said it recorded an operations loss of $490 million in the first six months of 2024 and since 2018 it has lost more than $3 billion.
A spokesperson for Canada Post did not respond to a request for comment. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers spokesperson was unavailable for an interview prior to publication.
Is expedited package going from $30 to $40 soon ?
What, Sunday they’ve been on strike in Kug for the last few weeks post office barely opens, the lady who runs it is on leave while working 3 other jobs, now that’s a story worth reporting.