OTTAWA — The union representing Canada Post workers says it will move from a countrywide strike to rotating strikes starting Saturday morning — a change that will help get mail and parcels moving again.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced Thursday evening that rotating strikes will begin at 6 a.m. local time.
The decision comes one day after union leaders met with Joël Lightbound, the federal minister responsible for Canada Post, to discuss recent changes to the postal service’s mandate. Another meeting with the minister’s office is planned for next week.
The government’s plan includes ending door-to-door mail delivery for most Canadians within the next decade, reducing delivery frequency, and closing some post offices.
The union launched the nationwide strike on Sept. 25, shortly after the government announced these changes.
Canada Post has welcomed the move to rotating strikes as it faces serious financial troubles, but the union says the government’s actions interfere with bargaining.
In a bulletin, the union said it asked the minister to reverse the postal changes, but he refused.
A spokesperson for Lightbound said Thursday that the minister was not available for comment, and neither Canada Post nor Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu’s office responded to requests for comment.
