Canada Post management delibertately disrupts services in Regina and Saskatoon

CUPW
Tuesday, June 7, 2011

REGINA – Canada Post unnecessarily escalated the dispute with postal workers yesterday in Regina [and Saskatoon], potentially affecting mail delivery to thousands of homes and businesses. The company sent dozens of temporary postal workers home and refused to provide service. The employer also told postal workers it would not pay overtime required to complete deliveries.

“There was absolutely no need for Canada Post to cause a disruption of service,” says William Johnson, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Regina Local. “Canada Post is clearly not committed to service delivery, but instead to doing everything it can to make postal workers look bad to the public. One of the biggest issues of our dispute with the company is over how to meet contract demands and how to maintain and improve service to Canadians. The fact that Canada Post would be willing to disrupt service to the people of Regina unnecessarily is extremely disappointing.”

Another issue that remains outstanding between the two sides is improving safety at work. The new delivery model for letter carriers is unsafe. It is impossible, for example, for letter carriers to carry mail in their hands and on their arms and still climb stairs and walk on snow and ice without getting injured.

The public is encouraged to contact their MPs and demand that Canada Post respect its obligations to deliver the mail and to negotiate a fair settlement with postal workers. After all, the public post office belongs to you!