Expect delivery delays for the ‘foreseeable future’, Canada Post warns

FILE: A Canada Post delivery truck in Ontario (Photo By Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine – Own work, CC0)

OTTAWA — Regardless of whether it gets a last-minute deal with its striking employees, Canada Post warned Canadians Tuesday that they can expect delays of parcel and mail delivery into the new year as a result of rotating walkouts.

Businesses and individual customers can expect the worst delays in southern and southwestern Ontario because of a backlog of hundreds of transport trailers sitting idle at Canada Post’s main Toronto sorting facility, the Crown corporation said.

“The postal service remains operational, but the prolonged and ongoing strike activity has not only caused significant backlogs, it continues to greatly reduce our ability to process and deliver mail and parcels across the country,” a Canada Post spokesman said in an email.

“Our focus across the country is to process and deliver as much as possible on a first-in, first-out basis.

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Canada Post is dealing with a fifth week of rotating strikes by its unionized workers as both sides remain apart in contract negotiations.

Distribution centres in Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal are also experiencing severe backlogs, and packages are backing up at border points, despite a plea from Canada Post to its international partners to halt shipments, Jon Hamilton said.

“International items will require screening by the Canada Border Services Agency and we are working in partnership with them to manage the significant existing backlog.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated his call Tuesday for both sides in the dispute to resolve their differences soon, making note of important Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events that coincide with American Thankgiving this coming weekend.

But he gave no indications that his government is prepared to force postal workers back to their jobs yet, saying only that he wants a deal, and that the government is considering what it can do to put an end to the labour dispute.

“We are, of course, very preoccupied with the fact that Christmas is coming, important shopping days are coming and we need to see a resolution to that,” Trudeau said as he arrived in Ottawa for a meeting with his cabinet.

“As I’ve said many times, all options are on the table,” he added when asked whether he was prepared to table back-to-work legislation.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers on Monday turned down an offer for a holiday cooling-off period and a possible $1,000 bonus for its 50,000 members, saying it would only mean postal employees continuing to work under the same conditions the union is trying to have changed.

Major issues in nearly a full year of bargaining have included what CUPW calls an “injury crisis,” along with gender inequality, overburdening and precarious work.

The latest round of rotating strikes hit several Ontario communities Tuesday including Woodstock, St. Thomas, Chatham and three locations in Scarborough, as well as Prince George, B.C.

Canada Post has apologized to its customers for the continued walkouts, and warned that it cannot now predict the exact length of delivery delays.

“This is likely to be the situation for the foreseeable future, meaning the next several weeks, including the peak holiday season and through January 2019,” the company said.