Canada Post strikes could start Monday

This week the Canadian Union of Postal Workers CUPW) gave notice to Canada Post that they intended to commence industrial action on Monday. They announced a 72 hour period of industrial action as talks broke down and little progress seems to have been made. Rather astonishingly, in the face of this possible action the national postal service, according to the union, has declined to comment.

If the action goes ahead rotating strikes will begin at 12:01 am, Monday, October 22. Locations have yet to be determined. Primarily, the reason for industrial action centres on workplace conditions for staff. One particular complaint from the union, related to ecommerce, was the burden of extra parcel volumes on postal workers making deliveries.

Saying of the action on the 16th:

Our members gave us a clear mandate to take job action if Canada Post refused to address our major issues – health and safety, gender equality and preserving full-time, middle class jobs. Our goal is still negotiated settlements with no postal disruption. This week is Canada Post’s chance to make that happen.
– Mike Palecek, National President, CUPW

Yesterday, the CUPW said that no response had been forthcoming from Canada Post:

Since the Union issued 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, there has been no response from Canada Post. Your negotiating committee is ready, willing and determined to get back to the bargaining table. The National Executive Board has told Canada Post that we will start rotating strikes as of 00:01 Monday, October 22, 2018. The clock is ticking and yet there seems to be no urgency from Canada Post to resolve the issues that are necessary to get new collective agreements by Sunday night.
– CUPW statement

If the action goes ahead, as looks increasingly likely, then it will cause serious disruption to the postal service in Canada. eBay has already said it will protect merchant’s performance scores. We wrote about that here.