The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario expresses solidarity with the 55,000 postal workers, with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on strike. Postal workers are bargaining for fair wages, safe working conditions, job security, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of public services; all the while facing an employer that has bargained in bad faith, locked them out and is anticipating the federal government’s implementation of back-to-work legislation directly infringing on the rights of workers to strike.
Decades of complicity between Canada Post, the federal government, and big businesses, have shifted Canada Post away from operating like the public service it is to operating like a business that prioritizes profits and companies such as Amazon, eBay, Purolator or DHL. These practices have also led to threats to job security and a reliance on third party contractors – with the end goal of turning postal workers into gig workers. This would result in workers being classified as independent contractors and having no job protection or stability.
Canada Post has claimed to be financially unable to meet the wage demands of postal workers, however, as demand for package delivery increases, profits have been flowing to Canada Post’s private contractors while workers are consistently left behind. It is deplorable that as the cost of living crisis continues unabated, workers’ wages remain stagnant. By denying postal workers the right to fair wages, Canada Post has condemned tens of thousands of its workers to a life of precarity.
The issues of post-secondary students mirrors that of postal workers. Post-secondary students continue to be plagued by increases to their rent, groceries and transit costs. Students bear the brunt of cuts to public services, and have faced the effects of the privatization of education. Students in Ontario know the plight of postal workers and reject attempts made to vilify workers exercising their fundamental right to strike and instead stand with them until their demands are met.
The job protections for both unionized and non-unionized workers have been achieved through worker organizing, and CUPW among other unions has a long history of fighting for workers rights for all. It was CUPW workers in 1981 who won the right for workers across Canada to have paid maternity leave. Whether it is paid sick days, protections against harassment, group benefits or even paid meal breaks; students entering the workforce will benefit from the continued fight for better working conditions for all.
As we see the federal government continue to cut funding for education, health care, and public services, the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario stands with postal workers in their struggle to maintain and expand our public services. The Federation is calling on the employer, Canada Post, to negotiate in good faith with CUPW and meet the demands of postal workers.
The Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario echoes the demands of postal workers on strike who are calling for:
- Fair wages
- Improved benefits
- Safe working conditions
- The right to retire with dignity
- The expansion of the public postal service