Nanaimo’s Canada Post workers are on strike.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents more than 54,000 workers in the postal, delivery and other sectors, tweeted out this morning that post employees in Nanaimo went on strike at 6 a.m. Canada Post workers in Port Alberni and Courtenay are also taking job action this morning.
The labour disruptions are part of a series of rolling strikes that started on Oct. 22, while mediated negotiations with the Crown corporation continue.
“We’re battling with the corporation across Canada for a new collective agreement right now,” said Wayde Heckford, CUPW Local 786 president.
Some of the issues at the centre of the dispute are pay, delivery route structures, and increased loads from rising numbers of package deliveries due to online shopping.
“Right now we’re in negotiations for overburdening and stuff like that and all our routes were based on not having this much volume,” Heckford said. “Today we have this much volume. We have, I believe, the highest rate of injury in our sector of work right now. So, the corporation says they understand it and everything like that, but they don’t want to do anything to fix it.”
CUPW’s urban and rural postal workers are currently without agreements.
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