Around 55,000 Canada Post workers are now on strike nationwide after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer.
As part of the strike, almost all mail and parcel deliveries will be halted until the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CPUW) and Canada Post come to an agreement. This means that you’ll have to turn to alternate delivery services for most orders, especially if you’re planning to shop online for Christmas gifts.
The only exception is that the CPUW and Canada Post have agreed to continue to deliver government benefit cheques during the strike, including those for old age security and the Canada Pension Plan. Seniors and others who rely on such mail service will also receive timely financial assistance, although Service Canada is advising Canadians to set up online accounts and register for direct deposit if possible to mitigate disruptions. All benefit cheques for November are set to be delivered on November 20th.
In a dedicated strike page on its website, CPUW said many of its issues have gone unresolved, including “wage increases in line with inflation,” “COLA [cost of living adjustment] payments to be rolled into the basic wage rate,” increased STDP [short term disability payments] from “70% to 80% of our wages and increase Injury on Duty payments to 88%,” the addition of 10 paid medical days alongside the existing 7 paid personal days and “significant improvements to our group benefits plans” including increased health specialists, fertility treatment, gender-affirming care and vision care.
In its own statement, Canada Post didn’t comment on the negotiations at all but simply explained how the strike will affect Canadians. The Crown company noted that “a national strike of any length will impact service to Canadians well after the strike activity ends,” as “processing and delivery may take some time to fully return to normal” amid the backlog of orders.
On X (Twitter), Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s Minister of Labour and Seniors, said “Canadians need them [the CPUW and Canada Post] to reach an agreement,” and the government has sent its “top federal mediators” alongside “additional resources” to help make that happen.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have been negotiating the renewal of their collective agreement since November 2023.
Both parties have filed notice of strike and lockout – meaning strike action could occur shortly after midnight tonight, and a lockout…
— Steven MacKinnon (@stevenmackinnon) November 15, 2024
“We are making sure that these two groups have everything they need to reach a deal,” said MacKinnon.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: Canadian Union of Postal Workers
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