By Matthew Jin Kang
After five weeks of rotating strikes by Canada Post’s postal workers, the senate has passed back-to-work legislation putting an end to the strike.
Bill C-89 has been approved by a vote of 53-25 which will see postal workers resuming work Tuesday afternoon.
Postal workers had been on strike to bring attention to the pay inequality between rural and urban postal workers.
While rural carriers were paid depending on the size of their route, urban carriers were paid hourly.
CUPW, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, wanted to use the strike to demand Canada Post to keep limitations of eight-hour work days and forty-hour work weeks.
The Union had also wanted worker safety to be addressed, which has seen a significant rise over the past couple of years.
People can rest assured that Canada Post will resume operations as they will not have to wait for their packages to be delivered much longer.
Many people depend on Canada Post for holiday cards and important documents such as cheques or work permits to be delivered, and they also rely on Canada Post for online holiday shopping during the busy time of year. Some
businesses were negatively affected by the strike as they are dependent on Canada Post in order to have a profitable season.
The government had determined the issue to be urgent because of consistent service disruptions during an incredibly busy holiday season, recognizing the negative economic impact the strike had.
The Union however, are very disappointed by the back-to-work legislation as no agreement during the strike had been reached. They feel there is more to be done as they feel that Bill C-89 does not solve any problems and only sends the postal workers back to the workplace where the same problems continue to persist.
Justin Trudeau’s liberal government had promoted itself as a government that supports fair labour laws which some people in the Union feel like they’re not doing. The strike came to a forceful end which has angered the Union and the postal workers on strike as the right to strike
is a charter right which they feel is not being respected.
While back-to-work legislation has been passed, the issue has not been resolved. Businesses and online shoppers will enjoy continued service operations without disruption and await the packages they are yet to receive. Postal workers on the other hand, must continue to voice their concerns and needs to make sure that worker safety and forced work overtime is addressed.
