Columbia Valley Pioneer staff
Through rain, sleet or snow, mail will resume in the Columbia Valley (and the rest of Canada) as postal workers have been ordered back to work after a month-long strike.
Due to an impasse in contract negotiations, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered employees to return to their jobs on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
While this is good news for consumers and small businesses, mail and the delivery of parcels will likely move at a snail’s pace due to the backlog caused by the strike.
Canada Post states that many parcels are “trapped” in its network. “It will take time to clear our network, so customers should expect delays in processing and delivery,” the corporation says.
Canada Post points out that it will not receive or pick up new product until Thursday, Dec. 19.
The corporation notes that the terms of the existing collective agreements will be extended until May 22, 2025. In the meantime, it has offered postal workers a wage increase of five per cent.
Pete Bourke, executive director of the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, previously stated the strike would have a significant impact on small business in the valley and encouraged consumers to shop loca.
“Hearing that Canada Post workers were returning to their jobs was welcome news. Businesses need certainty to operate to the best of their ability,” Bourke told the Pioneer.
Bourke said a BC Chamber of Commerce survey that attracted more than 700 responses indicated that 89 per cent of business owners said the strike impacted their business, with 57 per cent feeling the impacts were “significant” or “severe.”