Canada Post receives strike notice

Canada Post announced it has received a 72-hour strike notice from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for both urban and rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) bargaining units with CUPW in a legal position to begin strike activity Nov. 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET.

In the event of rotating strike activity, Canada Post said it intends to continue delivering while working to reach negotiated agreements, however, the ongoing possibility of a labour disruption has been significantly eroding Canada Post’s volumes and escalating the negative financial impact on the company.

CUPW said in a statement that although it had given notice to Canada Post, the national executive board has not yet determined whether job action will take place immediately, and that it will depend on Canada Post’s actions at the bargaining table in the days to come.

The union said there are several issues still on the table for negotiations, including wage increases, medical days, improvements to the group benefits plan, protections against harassment and technology changes, among others.

Canada Post has notified the union that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday. The corporation will then be in a position, using the means provided in the Canada Labour Code, to adjust operations based on its operational realities and business needs.

This typically being Canada Post’s busiest time of the year, delivered parcel volumes have been in an accelerating decline since CUPW announced its strike mandate Oct. 25. Last week, Canada Post’s parcel volumes declined by 28 per cent compared to the same week of the previous year. That represents 1.3 million parcels – or more than a day’s worth of delivered parcels at this time of year – that went to competitors instead of Canada Post. With CUPW’s strike notice, the company expects this trend to accelerate.

Canada Post said a labour disruption would affect millions of Canadians and businesses using the postal service, and deepen the company’s already serious financial situation.

“In the event of a labour disruption, the corporation will work to minimize service disruptions, but customers may experience delays,” Canada Post said in a release. “Mail and parcels flow through Canada Post’s highly integrated national network each day to get from sender to receiver. Shutting down facilities or regions with rotating strikes can cause immediate and prolonged ripple effects throughout the network.”

Canada Post and CUPW have agreed to continue the delivery of socio-economic cheques during any upcoming labour disruption for eligible and participating government organizations. The agreement ensures government financial assistance delivered by mail will reach seniors and other Canadians who rely on it.

Socio-economic cheques for the month of November will be delivered Nov. 20. Canadians will receive their cheques the same way they normally receive their mail.