Mail carriers in the Magdalen Islands hit the picket line

Postal workers in Quebec's Magdalen Islands are the latest to join in on a series of rotating strikes across the country.

At midnight, they joined their colleagues in Niagara Falls, Sudbury, and Vancouver, and will set up picket lines on the sixth day of walkouts.

On Thursday, 300 workers in Sherbrooke walked off the job for a day.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents 50,000 postal employees, launched rotating walkouts on Monday to pressure Canada Post into accepting contract changes.

The CUPW said its key demands are job security, an end to forced overtime and overburdening, better health and safety measures, service expansion and equality for rural and suburban mail carriers.

Earlier this week, Labour Minister Patty Hajdu has appointed special mediator Morton Mitchnick, a former chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, to help the two parties resolve their contract differences.

The minister says she has met with the union and Canada Post representatives to encourage both parties to continue their negotiations, and she promises to continue "to follow the situation closely."

In a statement Wednesday evening, Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said the Crown corporation has made "significant offers'' to the union — including increased wages, job security and improved benefits — and has not asked for any concessions in return.

He said Canada Post is working to restore service and eliminate any mail and parcel backlogs.

With files from The Canadian Press