The strike opposes the government's proposed changes to the service
Canada Post has announced that mail and parcels were no longer being processed or delivered following the national strike by workers, according to BNN Bloomberg.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has recently declared a strike after Ottawa’s announcement of putting a stop to door-to-door mail delivery within the next decade. With workers walking off the job, the corporation said that delays in delivery and processing should be expected, except for socio-economic cheques and live animals.
The ceasing of door-to-door mail delivery was part of the changes to Canada Post which Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound announced to be part of a modernization plan. He said that these changes were necessary to keep the corporation in operation.
In response, the CUPW criticized the announcement and said that it would cause the closure of some postal offices, movement of addresses to community mailboxes, prolonged delivery time, and job losses.
Carleton University Business Professor Ian Lee said that the changes were an inevitability as it had been on a decline since 2006.
“Young people, and most people, don’t write letters. You don’t write your mother or father a letter; you send them a text, you send them an email,” said Lee.
Jim Gallant, a union negotiator, pointed out that the proposed changes can negatively affect the revenue of Canada Post. This is because the plan may urge Canadians to turn to other carriers for their mail and parcels.
Canadian Association of Independent Business noted how the Canada Post workers’ strike will have a big impact on small business as holiday retail shipping season is nearby.
“As expected, Canada Post workers are back on an immediate, nation-wide strike. The impact on small business will be massive. Doing this in the lead-up to the critical holiday retail shipping season is especially troubling,” the CFIB said in a statement, adding that the union’s strike last year cost small businesses more than $1 billion.
Meanwhile, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu pointed out that CUPW and Canada Post should find common ground when it comes to dealing with both the future of postal service and what employees deserve.
“CUPW and Canada Post need to find the right balance that secures the future of the corporation and respects the workers who keep it running. Canadians depend on them to get this right,” said Hajdu.
