Postal workers across Canada went on strike starting on Friday over pay and working conditions, a work stoppage that is expected to severely disrupt deliveries ahead of the busy holiday period.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents about 55,000 people, said in a statement that it had begun the nationwide strike, which started at midnight, after a year of failed negotiations with Canada Post, the country’s main postal operator.
The strike will shut down Canada Post’s operations, and no mail or parcels will be processed or delivered through the system, the company said in a statement. Customers should expect delays for items already in the mail network, it said, and some post offices will temporarily close.
“A national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends,” said Canada Post, which is owned by the Canadian government. Other courier services, which have been muscling in on Canada Post’s business in recent years, will continue running.
Postal workers voted to strike last month after protracted talks failed to reach a new labor agreement.
Canada Post had offered workers a wage increase of 11.5 percent over four years, along with pension and job security benefits. The company also said that it had proposed changes to create a “more flexible and affordable delivery model” that would allow it to expand its delivery schedule from weekdays only to seven days a week.
But the union rejected the offering, arguing that it fell short of their demands and that it rolled back benefits and working conditions. The union had asked for a 22 percent wage increase over four years, along with paid medical leave, better health coverage and other benefits.
“Our demands are reasonable: fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity and the expansion of services at the public post office,” the union said. It added: “We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.”
Since the union announced its intention to strike, Canada Post said that it had already felt an impact as customers switched to private competitors or stopped using the service. The volume of parcels Canada Post handled in one week this month declined by 28 percent compared to the same time last year, it said, at what was usually its busiest time of the year.
“A labor disruption would affect the millions of Canadians and businesses who rely on the postal service, and deepen the company’s already serious financial situation,” Canada Post said before the strike. “It is critical that both parties focus their energies on resolving issues to reach negotiated agreements.”
The postal service has come under stress in recent years, citing the “significant financial and operational challenges of delivering in today’s highly competitive parcel delivery market.” Along with services like UPS and FedEx, Canada Post is competing with a growing number of small firms that rely on poorly paid gig workers.
Canada Post said that in the first half of 2024, it had recorded operating losses of 490 million Canadian dollars, or about $350 million. Since 2018, it said that its losses had surpassed 3 billion Canadian dollars, or about $2.14 billion.
The government has sent mediators to help the two sides strike a deal, according to Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s labor minister. “Canadians need them to reach an agreement,” he said late Thursday in a social media post. “We are making sure that these two groups have everything they need to reach a deal.”
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