OTTAWA, Oct. 31, 2018 /CNW/ - While negotiations continue with the help of a special mediator, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) began strike action in Sorel, St-Jean, Valleyfield, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., at 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Rotating strikes started in Ottawa and Arnprior-Renfrew at 6:00 a.m. and in St-Jérôme, Que. at 6:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 31. and in Joliette, Que., at 1 a.m. and in Prince Edward Island at 12:01 a.m. local times.
Rotating strikes continued in five B.C. communities early Wednesday morning (Columbia River, Nelson, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson and Fort St. John) and in Weyburn, Sask.
Meanwhile, strikes ended in Montréal around midnight, about 24 hours after they began. Strikes have also ended this morning in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, Sask., and in Ontario communities that began a strike earlier (Cobourg, Peterborough, Petawawa/Deep River, Fort Frances, Kapuskasing, Kenora and Smiths Falls).
Service Impacts
Mail and parcels will not be delivered or picked up in impacted areas while the union continues their strike activity. Canada Post is attempting to minimize the impact on customers. As employees return to work in areas impacted by the strike, we are working to restore service and address any mail and parcel backlogs.
Canada Post continues to operate across the rest of Canada and is accepting and delivering mail and parcels in all other locations. We thank our customers for their continued patience.
Negotiations
A special mediator appointed by the federal government joined the parties at an offsite location on Wednesday, October 24, and is working to help them reach a negotiated settlement. Canada Post remains committed to the bargaining process.
The Corporation has made significant offers to CUPW that include increased wages, job security, and improved benefits, and it has not asked for any concessions in return.
We value the relationship with the union and have been able to find common ground on some issues. 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.
Customers can go to canadapost.ca/update for updates or follow us on twitter @canadapostcorp for the latest developments.
SOURCE Canada Post
Media Relations, 613-734-8888, [email protected]
Share this article