Workers at Canada’s national postal service protested on Friday after failing to reach an agreement with Canada Post.
Some 55,000 workers went on strike Friday. The union issued a 72-hour strike notice earlier this week, saying it had been demanding fair wages, safer working conditions and other improvements during nearly a year of negotiations. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said little progress has been made in negotiations.
Canada Post has given the union notice of the lockout but said it does not intend to lay off workers. The government-owned corporation released a statement early Friday morning confirming customers will experience delays. Mail and parcels will not be delivered during the strike and some post offices will be closed.
A work stoppage could disrupt postal services ahead of the busy holiday season. The closures will impact the entire national network, as it may take time to resume normal mail processing and delivery operations once the strike ends, according to Canada Post.
“We are making sure that these two groups have everything they need to reach a deal,” federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a post on X. Earlier, he appointed the director general of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as a special mediator to assist in the negotiations.
