Canadian postal workers may disrupt service as early as Monday if deals cannot be reached over the weekend, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) announced on Tuesday.
Canada Post said if rotating strike action should occur, the postal service will continue to operate.
“Rotating legal strikes may be isolated to one or two specific locations at a time, affecting those areas for a period of 24 hours. In that situation, Canada Post would continue to accept, process and deliver mail and parcels in all other areas. Once the temporary disruption ends, we would return to normal operations in the affected locations.”
Key demands for postal workers during this round of bargaining are 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 the union.
The union claims the massive increase in parcel volumes has placed burdens on workers that Canada Post has failed to properly address, leading to deteriorating working conditions over the last decade. It claims workplace injuries have increased 43% over the last 2 years.
Canada Post said it is committed to arriving at a negotiated settlement that is best for its customers, its employees, and its path forward with CUPW.
Last month eBay Canada warned sellers to prepare for possible disruptions, offering the following advice:
- Continue to list and sell on eBay;
- Consider adding alternative shipping services (e.g. couriers, freight forwarders) to your listings;
- Offer local pick-up; and
- Be considerate and accommodate buyers who wish to cancel listings that have not been shipped.
As online sellers have previously learned, just the threat of a postal disruption can have a negative impact on sales.
