TORONTO (AP) — Workers at Canada’s National Postal Service are on strike after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with Canada Post.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said early Friday that about 55,000 workers are on strike, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process. The work stoppage will disrupt postal service ahead of the busy holiday season.
The union announced a 72-hour strike earlier this week, saying it has called for fair wages, safer working conditions and other improvements during nearly a year of negotiations.
“We continue to believe we can reach collective agreements through negotiations, but Canada Post must be prepared to resolve our new and outstanding issues,” CUPW said in a statement.
Canada Post served the union with the lockout notice not long after, but had said it had no intention of locking out employees.
The government-owned company released a statement early Friday morning confirming that customers will experience delays. Mail and parcels will not be delivered during the strike and some post offices are closed.
Canada Post says the facility closures will impact the national network, with mail processing and delivery possibly taking time to return to normal once the strike ends.
Ahead of the strike deadline, federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said he had formally appointed the director general of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services as a special mediator to assist with the talks.
“We are making sure these two groups have everything they need to reach a deal,” he said in a post on X.
