Ottawa (Yahoo/Canadian Press/CBC) – The union representing Canada’s postal workers has called for a cross-country strike in the wake of the federal government announcing major reforms to Canada Post.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said it was “outraged and appalled” by the changes laid out Thursday.
“In response to the government’s attack on our postal service and workers, effective immediately, all CUPW members at Canada Post are on a nationwide strike,” CUPW said in a statement.
Joël Lightbound, the minister responsible for Canada Post, detailed a number of changes, including authorizing Canada Post to end home delivery. About four million addresses still receive that service.
Lightbound said Canada Post will also adjust how it delivers mail, so that non-urgent post can move by ground instead of air at a cost savings of $20 million annually.
The modernization plan also includes lifting the 1994 moratorium on closing rural post offices that covers nearly 4,000 locations — many of which the government says were once rural and have since become urban post offices.
ORIGINAL STORY – The Federal Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound says Canada Post will reduce the frequency of door-to-door letter mail delivery in an effort to shore up its finances.
The minister announced Thursday (September 25) the federal government will accept all of the recommendations in the Industrial Inquiry Commission’s report on Canada Post, which also called for the introduction of more community mailboxes.
The change to mail delivery is expected to increase the time it takes Canada Post to deliver letter mail from an average of three to four days to an average of three to seven days.
The commission also recommended changes to Canada Post’s collective agreement to allow the Crown corporation to hire part-time employees for weekends to help with the weekday load.
The federal government cites the shrinking volume of letter mail and Canada Post’s small share of the parcel market as reasons for the changes.
It says Canada Post needs these changes to achieve financial sustainability and maintain reliable service.
