Canada Post announced Monday that it has received strike notices from the union representing approximately 55,000 postal workers, signaling a possible shutdown of operations by the end of the week.
According to the Crown corporation, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) notified management that workers plan to begin strike action at midnight Friday.
A work stoppage would disrupt mail and parcel delivery for millions of Canadians.
CanadaPost handles over two billion letters and around 300 million parcels annually.
The corporation warns that a strike would further strain its already precarious financial position and urges both parties to prioritize reaching a collective agreement.
Earlier Monday, CUPW said it remains in negotiations for new contracts covering its members, including nearly 23,000 letter carriers.
The potential job action comes just days after a report recommended major reforms to Canada Post’s operations, including phasing out daily door-to-door letter delivery to individual homes, citing a need to revamp the organization’s struggling business model.
CUPW workers walked off the job last fall, with members on the picket line from Nov, 15 to Dec. 17, when they were ordered back to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board under the direction of the federal government.
As part of the order, the CIRB ordered the previous contract be extended to May 22, 2025, putting the workers back in a legal strike position if a contract has not been reached by that date.
