Changes at Canada Post
In 2013, Canada Post announced it would be eliminating door-to-door delivery across the country because the current model, it said, was unsustainable.That decision was solely based on a Conference Board of Canada report that projected millions of dollars in losses. The projections were grossly inaccurate. In fact, the opposite is true. Canada Post has realized profits in millions in every quarter since the report.Canada Post has been notifying customers for weeks now it will be locking out its employees in early July. It has also notified its employees as of July 2, all of their benefits will be suspended. Canada Post is demanding even more rollbacks than it achieved in 2011, with the help of Conservative government legislation (that was recently deemed by the courts to be a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms).With parcels volumes and revenues going through the roof and the pension plan in very healthy shape, the only possible reason for demanding rollbacks is greed. Although the intent of the lockout will be to “starve out” its employees, there will a potentially devastating impact on small business, charities, senior citizens, and rural Canadians who depend on Canada Post delivery. While many living in large urban areas can make alternate arrangements with other carriers such as Purolator and FedEx, most of rural Canada will be isolated and ignored.This time, Canada Post spin doctors will have a hard time placing the blame on the “union.”
Myron May
CUPW Winnipeg Local