Striking postal workers protest lack of support from ‘pro-labour’ Manitoba government

Local members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers rallied outside the legislature Thursday, accusing the “pro-labour NDP government” of failing to support them in their bitter, protracted dispute with Canada Post.

About 30 striking workers attended the afternoon rally to draw attention to the provincial government, which “is setting up kiosks for people to pick up cheques rather than apply pressure to the federal government,” CUPW Local 856 posted on its website.

“This is after spearheading anti-scab legislation.”

The current nationwide strike is entering its third week.

The provincial government said it has taken steps to ensure that “critical mail” — including cheques, court orders, educational materials, medical supplies and resources required to maintain health-care services and other prioritized items — is directed to distribution centres to serve Manitoba residents.

“All we’re doing is ensuring that the handful of Manitobans who get their cheques through the mail continue to get their (Employment and Income Assistance), pension and the other supports they need,” Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu said in a prepared statement.

“These Manitobans, especially those in northern and remote communities, need to be able to buy medication, pay their rent and feed their families.”

Local 856 president Sean Tugby did not respond to an interview request and wasn’t at the legislature when Thursday’s rally began.

Letter carrier Matthew Aitken said the union agrees with the province that mail services are “critical.”

“That’s why we’re here today,” said Aitken. “Why the province of Manitoba — led by an NDP, pro-labour government — is choosing to hand out these cheques in kiosks when Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have the people and the infrastructure in place, is baffling to us.”

The postal workers sent a letter to the provincial government offering to deliver critical mail, asking that an arrangement be worked out with Canada Post to facilitate the service, said Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck.

“CUPW members have always been dedicated to serving their communities and this offer underscores that,” Rebeck said in an email.

“We support Canada’s hard-working postal workers and CUPW in its strike against Canada Post and condemn the Liberal government’s repeated interference in their bargaining process,” he said.

During the initial stage of the labour dispute last fall, unionized postal workers didn’t protest when the province used a similar system for critical mail.

Aitken said that was different time, with a different Liberal government in Ottawa.

“(Prime Minister) Mark Carney and his Liberal government are attacking working-class people in this country,” Aitken said. “They are devaluing and defunding public services. And we’re seeing strikes all across the country because governments are not investing in their workers and they’re not investing in public services, and it’s a shame.

“We want the Manitoba NDP to have postal workers’ backs and send a message to Mark Carney that this kind of treatment of workers in any sector is not appropriate. They sure know how to come looking for us when it’s time to knock on doors and it’s time to donate to the party, so it’d be nice if they’d have our backs now.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca