OTTAWA - The head of Canada Post's union is calling for a meeting with the Crown corporation's CEO and a commitment that postal workers will be allowed to deliver critical mail such as social assistance cheques.
Canada Post has suspended all operations in urban centres across the country, saying the strikes have cost it about $100 million.
The union has accused Canada Post of seeking to cause major disruptions in order to pressure the government into ordering workers back to work.
The union, which began one- and two-day localized strikes on June 3 but has decided against a national walkout so far, says it was irresponsible for Canada Post management to lock out its members on Wednesday.
"Today, all postal workers were ready - the letter carriers as well - to distribute the mail everywhere in the country," union president Denis Lemelin said Wednesday at a media conference.
"We were truly fulfilling our commitment to see to it that the public receives their mail."
Lemelin said the union wants to meet with Canada Post chief executive Deepak Chopra and called on him to commit to allow postal workers to deliver social assistance and other cheques.
The postal service had already announced deliveries of letters and most parcels would be cut back to Monday, Wednesday and Friday due to a dropoff in volume since the strikes began.
Although the labour dispute does not include rural postal workers, who fall under a different contract, even the post office has acknowledged that a prolonged lockout could mean they would eventually have no more mail to deliver.
