Canada Post employees return to work, but rotational strike remains

By: William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada Post employees will return to work at 6 a.m. on Oct. 11, but a rotating strike around the country will continue, a press release from the national postal service said Friday.

“Plans are now underway to ensure a safe and orderly restart of our national operations, which were shut down without warning on Sept. 25 following the union’s sudden national strike,” Canada Post stated.

Operations at Canada Post will remain inconsistent due to workers rotating their strikes across the country and all service guarantees will be suspended, Canada Post said.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) went on strike after a ministerial announcement calling for the phasing out of door-to-door mail service, that the union said would lead to slashing jobs.

After meeting with Public Works Minister Joel Lightbound on Oct. 8, CUPW said it decided to transition its nationwide strike to a rotation-based one. 

“This will allow mail and parcels to start flowing again and will minimize the impact on businesses and the public. At the same time, we will continue our fight for ratifiable collective agreements,” CUPW said. 

The union is scheduled to participate in a follow-up meeting with the minister on Oct. 15. 

Canada Post has not invited CUPW back to the bargaining table, despite statements that the invitation had been offered, CUPW said. 

On Oct. 3, Canada Post offered workers compounded wage increases totalling 13.59 per cent over four years.

Members of CUPW have been on strike for 170 days in the past year during two different national strikes, Canada Post said.