The union representing 55,000 striking Canada Post staff says there has been “movement” in negotiations as a federally appointed mediator begins work.
A nationwide strike that began on Friday has closed post offices in the NWT. No mail is being received or delivered.
In a Tuesday statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said Canada Post “finally began to move” on some issues related to the Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier bargaining unit. Affected workers are represented either by that unit or an urban bargaining unit, depending on their location and the work they perform.
“Resolving these issues could pave the way to agreements; the more individual issues are resolved the better,” CUPW’s statement continued.
“Movement is a good sign, but we need more to negotiate two collective agreements. We will be discussing more issues today, and the Urban unit will find out if there is movement on their side.”
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Canada Post had made no separate statement of its own as of Tuesday afternoon.
In a separate email, the union said “more than 30” of its members are workers in the Northwest Territories. Staff in Yellowknife have said around 20 to 25 members work in the territorial capital.
If the strike continues, CUPW says it has an agreement in place with Canada Post to “ensure the delivery of many government cheques and the safety of live animals.”
That will mean volunteers going in to coordinate “up to two national days of delivery each month” to get government cheques out to people.
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What exactly counts as a government cheque is not defined in a union advisory.
NWT municipal governments and utilities have already issued notices urging customers to find other ways to pay their bills, paper copies of which won’t be delivered until after the strike ends.
Community leaders have expressed concern that items like medication may be held up in the mail, causing difficulties in isolated places.
