The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has sent strike notices to Canada Post indicating it plans to begin further strikes on Friday May 23 at 12am local time.
Canada Post has said that in the event CUPW initiates rotating strike activity, it intends to continue delivering in unaffected areas while working to reach negotiated agreements.
“In the event of a national labor disruption, mail and parcels will not be delivered and no new items will be accepted until the disruption is over,” the post stated on its website. “All mail and parcels in our network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume.”
Commenting on its strike notices, CUPW stated, “Although we have served notices, there is still time for negotiations to take place. We remain committed to achieving negotiated collective agreements. Your national executive board and negotiating committees urge Canada Post to return to the bargaining table with real offers that protect the health and well-being of postal workers, support the communities we serve, and ensure a strong and sustainable public postal service for all.”
According to Canada Post, it remains “committed to reaching collective agreements focused on protecting and enhancing the wages and benefits that are important to our people” while reflecting the company’s current realities – since 2018, it has recorded more than C$3bn (US$2.16bn) in losses before tax, and it will post another significant loss for 2024. In January, the Government of Canada announced repayable funding of up to C$1.034bn (US$718m) for Canada Post to prevent insolvency.
In related news, following a vote on April 30, 80.06% of shareholders at International Distribution Services (IDS), which owns Royal Mail, have approved the sale of the company to Czech businessman Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group. Click here to read more