As the December holiday season approaches, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers remain on strike in an ongoing labour dispute with Canada Post.
Our postal service鈥檚 unique role means postal strikes have significant effects on the Canadian public.
Individuals, businesses and organizations depend on the post office for some of their needs. There are other options for some services, but they are more expensive and in some cases less convenient than using Canada Post. Some of the more rural and remote areas in Canada do not have any alternatives to Canada Post鈥檚 delivery services.
If the latest postal strike was a one-time occurrence, the response might be to grudgingly accept it and wait for a resolution. However, this is not the only postal dispute in Canadian history.
From 1965 to 1997, there were at least 19 strikes, lockouts or walkouts affecting Canada Post. This is not a good track record for a service many people need.
It has been better in the past quarter century, but still, there have been some notable strikes and shutdowns. In 2011, Canada Post locked out members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. This dispute lasted less than two weeks. In the fall of 2018, rotating strikes were held nationwide, slowing deliveries in advance of the holiday season. This time, the dispute carried on for more than a month.
The latest strike, which began in November, has once again halted mail delivery.
There are parameters governing strikes in Canada. Non-unionized workers do not have the right to strike, and unionized workers may not strike without holding a strike vote during the collective bargaining process. As a result, a strike shows an impasse between unionized workers and their employer about terms and conditions of employment.
It is important to have fair agreements in place for all workers, and in this case, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have not yet reached an agreement both sides can accept. The public remains without mail delivery.
We need a better system.
Once this present dispute is resolved, it will be time to work on a structure to ensure negotiations do not fail in this way in the future.
鈥� Black Press
