Postal workers on strike in Fredericton and Oromocto

Postal workers in Fredericton/Oromocto join nine other cities across the country on a 24 hour strike from 11pm on Sunday, June 12 to 11pm on Monday, June 13.  Picket lines will be up at the Waggoners Lane Post office in Fredericton, the Oromocto Macdonald Drive office at 6 am and the Station B office on Hughes Street at 6:30 am.

Canadian Union Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post Corp (CPC) have been in negotiations for the urban bargaining unit since October 2010.  Canada Post’s refusal to move on their concession demands and refusal to consider safe working conditions has forced CUPW to enter into a legal rotating strike for the past week and a half.

Last week Canada Post announced plans to cut postal service including mail delivery to urban centres to three days a week and reduce inside clerk hours.  The Minister of Labour has asked Canada Post to stop these planned service cuts and return to the negotiating table to reach a fair negotiated collective agreement.  The Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt, also asked CUPW to stop the rotating strikes and return to the table. CUPW agreed to honour the Minister of Labour’s request, only asking that CPC bargain in good faith and return the workers collective agreement rights while bargaining continues. CPC said no to Minister Raitt’s request.

Ruth Breen is a postal worker in Fredericton.