‘The government doesn’t care about us’: postal workers, businesses divided on back-to-work legislation

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Canada Post workers are heading back to the job, but they’re not happy about it.

Legislation ordering an end to their rotating strikes passed the Senate Monday night, forcing union members off the picket line and back to work.

One postal worker says the issues that created the need for the walkouts in the first place still haven’t been addressed.

Kristin Gilder says worker safety is the number one priority for members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and believes it’s not getting the attention it should.

The Surrey letter carrier says looking for examples isn’t hard; Gilder has been off work for two months after slipping while delivering some mail in Cloverdale.

“We’re the ones that are going to have mental health issues from over-stress,” she tells NEWS 1130. “We’re the ones that are getting injured from having to carry stupid things like table saws, or huge mattresses, or car parts, or what have you.”

She says the legislation suggests there’s no concern for those who are injured.

“They only care about Christmas, and people getting their precious parcels. They don’t care about us people sitting here with injuries who aren’t getting any better, or keep getting injured. Or the ones that were on short-term disability until rotating strikes started, and got cut off.”

Gilder adds rural-suburban mail carriers on extended term disability were also cut off.

“Canada Post went and cut off their most vulnerable, but yet they’re saying we’re holding mail and everything,” she says. “We’re not. The rotating strikes, the mail was still going. It was Canada Post that held all the welfare cheques and everything. They put a memo out, and I have pictures of it stating ‘do not deliver until November 22nd.’ Welfare day has always been Wednesday. November 21st.”

According to postal workers, this legislation means they’re “right back at square one.” Gilder says the onus now falls back on the workers, and believes that’s not right.

The leverage has been taken away from CUP-W members, she adds.

She also believes there’s no support from the public, claiming customers are only worried about their parcels and mail.

“Repeatedly people are telling us that we’re overpaid and lazy, but they don’t know that most of the new hires that come into those depots don’t even last two weeks — that’s how hard the job is.”

When asked whether she’s hopeful for a mediated end to the dispute, Gilder says it didn’t work last time, and gave no sense of optimism.

“We ended with less than what we even started with.”

Back-to-work bill welcome news for small businesses

Business groups say they’re pleased rotating strikes at the Crown Corporation are over, with mail service scheduled to resume fully Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. PST.

“Small business owners depend on Canada Post to send and receive payments and get customer orders out,” Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says in a release.

“The weeks leading to Christmas can represent a huge chunk of annual sales for retailers. The strike was quickly becoming an emergency for many small firms and for Canadian consumers at this very important time of year. The government made the right decision to introduce back to work legislation.”

According to the CFIB, a recent survey shows 71 per cent of its members were in favour of legislating postal workers back to work. That same survey found the majority of small businesses within the federation had been negatively impacted by the walkouts, “at an average cost of $3,000.”

“Back to work legislation is never an easy choice, but it will help salvage the holiday season for small firms and consumers. We’re relieved to see Canada Post back to work and hope the Corporation and the union can reach a long-lasting agreement to ensure Canada Post can become a low-cost and reliable option for small business,” Kelly adds.

–With files from Marcella Bernardo