The dismantling of an institution north of the border is offering a cautionary note for employers intent on downsizing their own worker numbers in this country.
Leaders at the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are rallying against what they see as an attempt to exploit Canada Post’s recent choice to end door-to-door delivery for more than five million Canadian households. That will take force later this month, and in the meantime, a new private company known as You Have Mail is trying to squeeze into that niche by offering a fee-based service to pick up mail and deliver it to the door.
“The Harper government is trying to kill Canada’s postal service and the vultures are circling,” National President of the CUPW Denis Lemelin said in a statement. “Canada Post is mandated to be financially self-sufficient and has been so for most of the past two decades. In fact, last quarter, it reported a profit. So why should Canadians have to pay $20 or $30 or $60 to have their mail delivered to the door?”
You Have Mail’s website promises “affordable” plans for residential and business customers alike. “We know that with busy schedules, retrieving mail is the last thing you want to worry about,” it reads, “and we can help!”
In the meantime, the union is pressing to address the decline in traditional mail through expanded services such as postal banking.
“Privatization is not the solution,” Lemelin said. “Mail delivery must remain a public service, not a for-profit business.”
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“The Harper government is trying to kill Canada’s postal service and the vultures are circling,” National President of the CUPW Denis Lemelin said in a statement. “Canada Post is mandated to be financially self-sufficient and has been so for most of the past two decades. In fact, last quarter, it reported a profit. So why should Canadians have to pay $20 or $30 or $60 to have their mail delivered to the door?”
You Have Mail’s website promises “affordable” plans for residential and business customers alike. “We know that with busy schedules, retrieving mail is the last thing you want to worry about,” it reads, “and we can help!”
In the meantime, the union is pressing to address the decline in traditional mail through expanded services such as postal banking.
“Privatization is not the solution,” Lemelin said. “Mail delivery must remain a public service, not a for-profit business.”
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