Trail and Rossland residents can expect to see letters in their mail boxes today, as Canada Post says mail delivery will resume following back-to-work legislation passed by Parliament over the weekend.
Though happy to be back to work, the Crown Corporation’s local employees feel “played,” according to Diane Mailey, a Trail postie who has worked for Canada Post for over 30 years.
“The whole situation has been very unfortunate because we’re getting legislated back and they’re just going to shove a contract at us,” she said Monday.
“I’ve been there for a long time and a lot of the stuff that we’re going to lose is stuff that we have fought for over the years and they’re just going to take it away. We really didn’t have a chance to fight.”
The government tabled the back-to-work legislation last Monday after Canada Post locked out the union in the midst of rotating strikes that began early this month.
The legislation actually provides members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers slightly lower wages than the last offer from the post office. It also limits an arbitrator to choosing between the final offers - winner take all - of the two negotiating parties on other matters.
New Democrats rose en masse to show the government that taking away the rights of Canadians is not acceptable during a rare Sunday sitting, which followed a 58-hour marathon filibuster in the House of Commons.
“The extended debate in the House of Common was necessary so that parties could explore a settlement and so that the most negative aspects of the imposed contract could be amended, “ said MP Alex Atamanenko in a news release.
Opposition is fearful that this case will set a precedent for future union negotiations.
“I believe that this unfortunate tactic by the Conservatives is only the beginning,” said Atamanenko.
“This is an attack on our middle class and fits with Harper’s narrow political agenda of privatization, deregulation and less government. It is crucial for all Canadians to unite and oppose the further erosion of our democratic rights.”
With files from CP