OTTAWA - After walking out in Winnipeg on Wednesday, January 16, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members working for Canada Post in Fredericton and Saskatoon are participating in rotating strike action today.
The negotiations which started on January 14 and continued yesterday have not succeeded in reaching a new agreement. The PSAC is ready to continue negotiations even as rotating strikes are taking place.
"Some 125 of our members walked out yesterday in Winnipeg and they maintained a strong picket line," indicated Luc Guevremont, President of the PSAC Union of Postal Communication Employees (UPCE). "We have done all we can to avoid a labour dispute, but we have no other choice, because Canada Post management insists on treating our members as second class workers."
"Our bargaining team remains at the table and we want to do everything we can to overcome all the remaining hurdles toward a settlement. However, Canada Post insists on imposing its job evaluation plan. We can't accept a plan that will severely punish our members by imposing a discriminatory salary grid. With this plan, one worker out of every 10 would be deemed overpaid. UPCE-PSAC members are among the lowest paid within the Corporation."
The rotating strikes which started in Winnipeg Wednesday, and taking place in Fredericton and Saskatoon today, are affecting the Corporation’s administrative operations. Other regions or strategic areas of the Corporation will be targeted over the next few days in an effort to force Canada Post management to improve their contractual offer.
The some 2,800 PSAC members at the Canada Post Corporation have been in a legal strike position since January 10. The members voted 70% in favour of the strike on November 26. Their collective agreement expired on October 30, 2001.
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Information :
Luc Guevremont, National President, UPCE - (613) 560-4342
Pierre Lebel, Communications Officer, PSAC - (613)560-5482
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