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Postal workers’ concerns founded

The approximately 40-day rotating postal strike has ended, and it looks like those Christmas parcels will be delivered in time.

The approximately 40-day rotating postal strike has ended, and it looks like those Christmas parcels will be delivered in time. The Federal government has ordered CUPW rural and suburban mail carriers back to their posts, which was expected to happen Nov. 27. The postal workers contributions go beyond making sure Johnny gets grandma’s knitted mittens for Christmas, that smacks of first world problems. They are a key component of deliveries for many large and smaller companies whose bottom lines are heavily dependent on the busy holiday season. If the postal workers are deemed such an essential service of work that it takes late night parliament sessions and the senate working last weekend to get it done, their workers’ concerns should be taken seriously in upcoming negotiations. Things have changed considerably since the postal workers were last ordered back to work while former prime minister Stephen Harper was in office. Online shopping has skyrocketed in the past seven years. That means more wear-and-tear for workers’ vehicles, and more importantly, more wear-and-tear on the employees’ bodies as they lift the parcels. Concerns about rural delivery personnel not being paid similar to their urban counterparts is legitimate. Sure, union is a four-letter word with many people in the Foothills area, but the issues are the reasons why unions exist and there is the right to strike. They are back at work and parcels will likely be delivered by Santa’s day. Hopefully, forcing the employees back to work will result in meaningful negotiations with the members of the CUPW. If that’s not the case, and it’s a forced agreement the same debacle could result in just a few more years. That would be worse than having a parcel full of coal delivered for Christmas.




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