Canada Post workers in the north are taking to the picket lines Friday, joining colleagues across the country as Canada Post workers went on strike early Friday.
On Tuesday, workers gave Canada Post 72 hours notice ahead of the strike, which will shut down the company’s operations. Canada Post will not deliver mail or parcels and some post offices will be closed for the duration of the strike. Canada Post workers walked off the job after not reaching a negotiated agreement with their employer over wages, expansion of services and worker safety. The strike will not affect anyone receiving benefit cheques in the mail, including Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan.
Worker safety is of particular concern in the North, according to Whitehorse Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) president, Mac Clohan.
Canada Post is asking letter carriers across the country to increase the time they spend walking outside from six to eight hours. Clohan said that could be dangerous.
“If you’re delivering mail in 30 below on ice covered streets and you have to walk around for eight hours a day, that’s a very serious imposition to put a lot of letter carriers through,” he said.
Purolator, which operates under a different union, will not be delivering packages that come from with Canada Post during the strike.
Strike happening during ‘peak season’
The strike comes at a time when many northerners send and receive parcels ahead of the holiday season. This time of year is “peak season,” according to Keith Ellert, vice president of the Whitehorse CUPW.
Fred Behrens, the Senior Administrative Officer in Wekweètì, N.W.T. says the strike is cause for concern in many small communities.
“Most residents in small communities rely on Canada Post for a lot of stuff,” Behrens said . “If an individual needs their prescription drugs, that’s all shipped in by Canada Post in most cases. It will definitely be challenging, especially if it’s going to be a long term strike.”
In the Yukon, Canada Post workers are prepared to be on the picket line for as long as it takes to reach a negotiated agreement, Clohan said. Workers who take to the picket line for four hours per day, will receive $56.20.
“It’s not a lot,” Clohan said. “It’s a big hit to be out here.”
