Canada Post Makes Last Ditch Effort to Save Holiday Season – Union Rejects

With rotating strikes taking a huge toll on parcel deliveries, including a request by Canada Post for international postal service to stop sending shipments, the Canadian postal carrier made one last ditch effort to save the holiday season.

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It had proposed a cooling-off period with additional incentives to postal workers and try to work on a long-term solution after the holiday season.

“With the rotating strikes, resulting backlogs, and the massive Black Friday and Cyber Monday volumes that will arrive within days, we are trying everything we can to work together with the union – urgently – to deliver the holidays to Canadians. This proposal also includes a way for the parties to resolve their differences and these negotiations.”

Jessica McDonald, Chair of the Board of Directors and Interim President and CEO of Canada Post

The proposal had to be accepted by 5:00 PM on Monday, November 19 or the postal carrier said it would lose its last window of opportunity to clear the backlogs before the oncoming wave of volumes reaches its facilities.

Union Rejects Offers

Unfortunately, the union rejected the offer, and the situation is becoming more dire than ever.

In an ironic statement CUPW national president Mike Palecek says the union isn’t holding rotating strikes to harm the public.

Yet, it is the public that is growing increasingly tired of the situation and it is small businesses in Canada that are feeling the effects of this strike the most.

With more Canadian businesses switching to alternative shipping carrier to save their holiday season, there is a great danger that Canada Post may lose significant market share of the parcel delivery business in Canada.

It would seem that only would make the demands by the union more difficult to meet by Canada Post if the mail carrier is unable to afford the union’s requirements.

READ MORE: Canada Post Strike May Hurt Canadian Workers as Businesses Shift Services

International Shipments Stopped

Royal Mail already warned that it has stopped shipping products to Canada and that this request was made by Canada Post to all international mail services.

As it stands today with the busy Black Friday and Cyber Monday days kicking off the holiday season in earnest, the only solution for non-Canadian shippers is to use alternative shipping companies or just not offer shipping to Canada.

There appears to be no end in sight to this labor dispute. Without clarity on the situation, small businesses online retailers must take the appropriate action they feel is necessary to safeguard their business from unnecessary risk of losing packages and sales while shipments are in limbo.

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