The union representing 55,000 Canada Post workers has announced it will end its nationwide strike action and move to rotating strikes starting this weekend.
The notice was posted on the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) website late Thursday evening.
“Starting Saturday, October 11 at 6 AM local time, CUPW will move from a nationwide strike action to rotating strikes,” CUPW president Jan Simpson wrote in the notice.
“This will start mail and parcels moving, while continuing our struggle for good collective agreements and a strong public postal service.”
It was not clear from the union’s message how long it would take before Canadians would actually begin to receive mail again. CBC News has reached out to CUPW for clarification. Canada Post has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The union had been in the midst of its second nationwide strike in less than a year, which has brought nearly all mail and parcel delivery to a complete halt.
This latest strike began after the federal government announced plans last month to restructure the Crown corporation, which is on track to lose $1.5 billion in 2025 and is only staying afloat right now thanks to a $1 billion federal loan.
In its statement Thursday night, the union accused the federal government of emboldening Canada Post “to continue making a mockery of the bargaining process” by announcing the changes in the midst of the contract dispute.
Simpson and other union leaders said they met with Government Transformation Minister Joël Lightbound on Wednesday evening for an hour and plan to meet with him again next week.
Many of the measures Lightbound announced last month are changes Canada Post has long called on Ottawa to make in order to ensure it can remain financially viable. (The Crown coporation’s operations are extensively regulated through federal legislation.)
The restructing includes ending door-to-door delivery (with some accessibility exemptions) and allowing the corporation more autonomy to decide how and when it delivers.
The union said in the message on its website that the government’s plan will “allow Canada Post to gut our postal service and slash thousands of our jobs.”
“We will continue our fight for strong public services, good jobs, and a sustainable public post office for all Canadians,” the post read.
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