JUNE 14, 2011 – Following 12 days of rotating strike activity by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canada Post has suspended mail service across the country.
Canada Post has released a statement on its website indicating how customers will be impacted by the service disruptions.
- All post offices staffed by CUPW members are closed.
- Post Offices located in suburban and rural areas staffed by members of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants (CPAA) continue to be open but cannot accept new mail.
- Street Letter Boxes, mail slots on Community Mail Boxes, and other Canada Post mail-receiving equipment have been cleared and sealed to prevent mail from being deposited.
- Mail Delivery is suspended to all addresses served by letter carriers represented by the CUPW (Urban). Some mail delivery will continue over the first few days of the lockout to clear mail remaining in the system in suburban and rural areas where delivery employees are represented by a different bargaining unit.
- Plans are in place to secure all mail that is left in the system during the lockout, and to resume normal operations quickly once the current labour dispute is resolved.
Newspapers Canada is recommending that publishers proceed on the assumption that there will be mail disruptions throughout the country and to contact local postal outlets for service clarification. For detailed information on how service disruptions are impacting urban and rural postal offices click here.
On Wendesday, June 15, the federal government served notice that it would move ahead with back-to-work legislation in order to bring the strike activity to an end. The bill would be designed to end the current Canada Post lockout of unionized workers and mandate an arbitrated settlement to the dispute.
Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced that the Conservatives would table back-to-work legislation to end the lockout on Monday, June 20.
Newspapers Canada continues to maintain contact with Ottawa and update members with information as it becomes available.
For more information, members can visit the following websites:
Canada Post infopost.ca/customer
Canadian Union of Postal Workers www.cupw.ca
