Rupertites may have noticed that the flow of mail through Canada Post has come to a standstill as they fight what postal workers call unfair circumstances.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) called an immediate strike after the Canadian government ordered changes that could end door-to-door delivery. The CUPW is concerned by the actions of the government, said secretary-treasurer of the Prince Rupert union Paula Picard.
“We’re really concerned with the corporation and the government’s approach to taking a public service and trying to treat it like a business. We’re a public service. We serve all Canadians. And the Canadian public is actually the owners of this institution.”
The changes proposed by the government would cut funding to Canada Post and would force the closure of many post offices, said Picard.
“The government is making unilateral decisions without consulting the stakeholders. And the concern with closing rural post offices is, cutting door-to-door delivery. It’s just going to affect so many Canadians in such a negative way. And the government and the corporation just don’t seem to care.”
The strike has been going on for over a week, affecting people across the country. The government has been very difficult to work with, said Picard.
“Canada Post needs to get to the negotiating table. They have avoided the negotiating table for almost two years now, and it’s just come to the point where, we will give an offer. They won’t respond. Then they convinced the government to force us to vote on what they called their final offer.”
