For northern postal workers, it’s business as usual despite national strike
Canada Post staff in Nunavut, Nunavik have their own union, aren’t part of CUPW job action
Postal workers in Nunavik, shown here at the Kuujjuaq post office, and Nunavut are not part of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ job action because they are represented by the umbrella of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
Unionized postal workers across much of Canada went on strike Friday, but post office staff in northern communities won’t be joining them.
Canada Post staff in remote locations such as Nunavut and Nunavik are not part of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Instead, they bargain under the umbrella of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association.
That union is in its own contract negotiations with Canada Post but the two sides have maintained a no strike, no lockout clause since 1902, said Xan Moffatt-Toews, president of the union’s Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut branch, which represents 45 workers in Nunavut.
Even so, mail service in the North will be affected by the postal workers’ strike in the south.
“The mail will still go, but it will be very slow,” said Moffatt-Toews. “Staff will still be working the same as they always have, but the mail won’t be coming in as it regularly does.”
She said rotating strikes at southern mail distribution plants, whose workers are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, will slow delivery of letters and parcels to the North.
“The plants will not be open on a regular basis,” said Moffatt-Toews. “The mail will still go, but it will be very slow.”
CUPW’s rotating strike schedule hadn’t been released as of early Friday afternoon, she said, so delays and disruptions for northern customers can’t be predicted.
“It’s kind of a mystery to us right now,” Moffatt-Toews said. “Their strategy hasn’t been shown yet.”
Negotiations between the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants and Canada Post, which began in December 2023, are ongoing and will continue in two weeks.
Bargaining dates between the northern union and Canada Post are scheduled into December.
“They’re still negotiating back and forth,” Moffatt-Toews said. “It’s been good. I am always optimistic, but we keep negotiations close to the chest.”
Because of the no-strike clause, she declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations.
Staff at both Iqaluit postal outlets continued work as normal Friday.
At the Kuujjuaq post office Friday, it appeared to be business as usual also.
Employees there, who are members of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association, declined to talk about the southern union’s strike but said the last mail currently on site would be sent out Friday and delivered to local post office boxes by Monday.
Mathieu Beauchesne, the Iqaluit area superintendent for Canada Post, declined to comment about the national union strike.
Canada Post and the union have agreed to continue delivery of government-issued cheques, such as pensions and family support, during a work disruption.
Those cheques for November will be delivered through the mail as usual on Nov. 20.
– With files from Cedric Gallant
No rotations! This is a full nationwide walk out!
There will be absolutely NO mail or parcels being sent anywhere.
Offices like this will have nothing to do very soon expect clean.
Strike or no strike half the post office’s in nunavut always closed anyway time to get new mail company in the north
Shortage of (willing) workers?
Nothing new about that in Nunavut.
Willing staff get hired from elsewhere and then Inuit complain….”They’re taking our jobs. I’m related to the manager…. and I work when I want….”
Typical racial slur from an white eye kablunaaak
yeah cause workers will magically start showing up to work once a new company comes to nunavut
I never get mail at the best of times, so I don’t really care🤣💯
Bad news for the weed sellers 😂
They refused to accept my package to be sent down south. I told them it needed a timestamp and they still wouldn’t accept it and let it sit in Iqaluit. Typical canada post work ethic.
Purolator still sends packages despite strike. Canada Post mails won’t get sent.
Also nunavut should protest mail is way more expensive to nunavut and they don’t even deliver to your door like down south they should have canada post truck to deliver mail especially for Elders in nunavut
You are confusing shipping charges with “mail.” Mail prices through Canada Post are well regulated. Of course we pay $10 more than the south. We all live EXTREMELY remote. It’s ludicrous to expect to have southern standards when we have no roads and rails like the south.
As far as I know, most people in the South no longer get mail delivery either.They have to go to a mailbox in their neighbourhood.
With Canada Post losing money, cannot or refuses to compete with Fedex, UPS, time to sell it off along with CBC and Via Rail, times they are a changing.
There’s a reason those companies you listed don’t do business in the north… its just not profitable. Without canada post we have no mail.
Usual frustration for me, using Canada post ordering online and the order takes 2 business days from coast to coast west to east. And 10 business days coast to coast from South East to North East, Please fix this also.