Rotating strikes by postal workers across Canada have made it to the Sunshine Coast. On Friday, Nov. 9, approximately 30 Canada Post employees were picketing outside of the post office in Gibsons. While the post office remained open, mail was not moving due to the disruption, an inside employee told Coast Reporter.
Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) began a series of rotating strikes across Canada on Oct. 22, shutting down Canada Post operations in more than 150 communities.
Brent Currie, president for CUPW Local 840, which extends from Langdale to Madeira Park, said a future disruption could involve two locations on the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s a day-by-day situation,” Currie said.
Key issues for postal workers include “job security, an end to forced overtime and overburdening, better health and safety measures, service expansion and equality for Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers,” according to CUPW.
The job action is causing delays in the mail delivery system and mail and parcels are not delivered or picked up in communities where the strikes occur.
“We don’t want to be out on the picket line. We want an agreement and we want to work – it’s just that Canada Post is not willing to talk about the issues that matter,” Currie told Coast Reporter.
A release from Canada Post said the mandate of mediator Morton Mitchnick has been extended four days, until Nov. 10, by Labour Minister Patty Hajdu.
“We value the relationship with the union and have been able to find common ground on some issues,” the Canada Post release said. “We have also committed to work together to address employees’ workload concerns caused by parcel growth, additional financial services and going beyond pay equity for Rural and Suburban employees by extending job security and moving to one uniform for all delivery employees.”
The two entities have been engaged in negotiations for almost a year to reach new collective agreements for the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units.
For updates on negotiations and where strikes are occurring, visit www.cupw.ca or www.canadapost.ca.
