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Burnaby Board of Trade calls for an end to ongoing labour dispute between Canada Post and workers

As the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continues with rotating strikes across the country, the Burnaby Board of Trade is urging the federal government to put an end to the union’s labour dispute.

As the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continues with rotating strikes across the country, the Burnaby Board of Trade is urging the federal government to put an end to the union’s labour dispute.

The Burnaby Board of Trade is concerned that ongoing labour action by the union will have a negative impact on local businesses that rely on the postal service to run their business, according to a statement released by the board this morning.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced last week that it would begin rotating strikes in various cities across the country starting on Oct. 22 as talks between the union and Canada Post stalled. During the rotating strikes, parcel and mail delivery and pick-up is halted in the affected communities and cities for a period of about 24 hours, while all other jurisdictions would continue to accept and process mail, according to Canada Post.

Strikes began in Edmonton, Halifax, Windsor and Victoria on Monday and continued in Toronto and Kelowna on Tuesday and Calgary on Wednesday. Today the strike action hit Red Deer, Alta. And Sherbrooke, Que.

There’s no word yet from the union on when or if the strike will hit Burnaby.

“Any disruption, even limited rotating strikes, is concerning and the Burnaby Board of Trade is engaging with Minister Patty Hajdu, responsible for Labour, and with Minister Carla Qualtrough, responsible for Canada Post, and calling for a quick conclusion to this labour dispute,” read the statement.

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been in negotiations over a new collective agreement since late 2017. Discussions between the two parties are ongoing while the labour action continues, according to Canada Post.

On Wednesday a government-appointed mediator arrived in Ottawa to assist with the negotiations.

But the board of trade believes these “drawn-out labour negotiations” are unacceptable.

“Businesses have been in a state of limbo for a couple of months now wondering what if a strike will occur,” said Paul Holden, president and CEO of the Burnaby Board of Trade, in a statement. “Our businesses value the postal service and rely on efficient and reliable service to get their products out the door and to accept payments. I know of many businesses scrambling to sort out alternatives for their invoicing and shipping when they should instead be focusing on growing their businesses. It’s time to bring this to a resolution.”