The union representing Canada Post employees says it will move to rotating strikes from its current countrywide strike starting on Saturday morning.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said in a Thursday evening update that the switch will get “mail and parcels moving.”
Rotating strikes will start at 6 a.m. Saturday, local time.
“We did not take the decision to move to a nation-wide strike lightly. Postal workers would much rather have new collective agreements and be delivering mail instead of taking strike action,” the union said.
The announcement came a day after the union met with the federal minister responsible for Canada Post.
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The union said it met with Joël Lightbound on Wednesday evening, voicing concerns about recently announced changes to the postal service’s mandate to overhaul its operations. It said there is a followup meeting with Lightbound’s office next week.
Among the changes are an end of door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade. As well, the frequency of mail delivery will slow down and some post offices will be shuttered.
CUPW declared the countrywide strike on Sept. 25, hours after the federal government announced its changes.
Canada Post has welcomed the announcement amid its stark financial challenges, while the union called it a government overstep in the bargaining process.
“Contract after contract, this employer has sought to chip away at postal services, worker rights and good jobs, and its latest offers are an outright attack on public service,” the union said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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