Around 30 Canada Post workers stood in front of the exit to the Nanaimo Purolator depot on Boxwood Rd. early Wednesday morning as part of their strike, now into its fourth week. (@k1dogman on Twitter)

By Jordan Davidson

targeted job action

Striking Nanaimo postal workers disrupt Purolator operations

Dec 11, 2024 | 9:40 AM

NANAIMO — Striking Canada Post workers in Nanaimo caused minor disruptions to an oversubscribed shipping company which the Crown corporation holds a majority ownership stake in.

Around 30 people wearing bright yellow vests and carrying signs stood outside the exit of the Purolator depot on Boxwood Rd. around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, allowing the delivery trucks to enter through the gates, but preventing them from leaving.

Shane Lorenz, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 786, said their members are not happy with Purolator taking over the delivery of parcels normally done by Canada Post, as the strike enters its fourth week.

“I know it’s not their (the drivers) fault, but Doug Ettinger is the CEO of Canada Post and sits on the board at Purolator, which I think is a major conflict of interest, and a lot of people don’t know Canada Post owns 91 per cent of Purolator, so they’re really a subsidiary of Canada Post. Our work is being filtered directly to them, so while we’re out here not working, they’re working extra hard.”

The Canada Post workers remained in place only until 7 a.m., then returned to their usual picketing spots outside their East Wellington Rd. office and on Terminal Ave.

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“The drivers were a little bit upset and I get it, they’re completely being overworked right now, but I think we’re proving to the public right now that we’re necessary, that we have to do delivery,” Lorenz told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They just cannot handle the extra parcels that there are right now.”

Negotiations between the two sides for a new collecting bargaining agreement remain tense, with Canada Post recently claiming the union has increased its demands in some areas as the strike continues.

Lorenz said that’s not true, and contrary to popular belief, money is not their key issue.

“Our demands are keeping the benefits that we have, keeping the pension plans that we have, and of course, asking for a raise as well because we haven’t had a decent raise in over a decade… they’re health and safety concerns.”

He said he along with their demands, he believes the Canada Post CEO should step down.

“They’ve spent $4 billion on infrastructure upgrades that haven’t benefited either the customers or the workers…I don’t know how a CEO that loses $3 billion in five years still has a job.”

While the strike is causing mail delivery delays across Canada, postal workers are promising children’s letters to Santa will still get to the North Pole.

NanaimoNewsNOW reached out to Purolator’s head office for comments on the Wednesday morning job action at the Nanaimo Purolator depot but did not receive a response before publishing.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNOW