The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) moved from a nationwide strike to rotating strikes beginning Saturday, October 11, in a shift aimed at resuming limited mail delivery while maintaining pressure on Canada Post and the federal government for a new collective agreement.
In a statement released last week, CUPW National President Jan Simpson said locals were being notified when they would take part in the rotating action. The union said the decision to modify strike tactics was made to “start mail and parcels moving” while continuing their push for “good collective agreements and a strong public postal service.”
Simpson noted that postal workers would have preferred to be delivering mail instead of walking picket lines but said the dispute was about protecting the future of Canada’s postal service and preserving good-paying jobs.
“We could not stand by as the Government announced its plans to allow Canada Post to gut our postal service and slash thousands of our jobs,” the statement read. “Contract after contract, this employer has sought to chip away at postal services, worker rights and good jobs.”
The dispute escalated after the federal government’s September 25 announcement, which CUPW said encouraged Canada Post to “make a mockery of the bargaining process.” The union contended that the corporation’s latest proposals would significantly weaken both employee protections and public postal operations.
Despite the shift to rotating strikes, CUPW maintained it would continue to advocate for strong public services and sustainable employment within Canada Post. The union expressed gratitude to its members for their solidarity, to the public for their support, and to opposition parties such as the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Bloc Québécois for pressing the government on the issue.
CUPW representatives were scheduled to meet this week with Minister Joël Lightbound’s office to discuss the ongoing labour impasse.
The rotating strikes have meant that service disruptions varied across the country, depending on which local was taking action at a given time. Canada Post customers experienced uneven mail and parcel delivery beginning last weekend.
