Striking postal workers in N.S. say they'd rather not be on the picket line

Employees with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walking a picket line outside the Canada Post mail processing plant in Sydney, N.S., say they'd rather not be there.

The workers are striking for better wages and other working conditions from the Crown corporation.

"We don't want to be doing this whatsoever," Alex Pappas, a shop steward, said as the picketers endured a cold rain Friday morning.

"All we want to do is just get those fair wages and have us back working. I don't want to stand out in the rain if I don't have to."

The union said 55,000 workers in its urban, rural and suburban mail carrier bargaining units are off the job.

Canada Post has offered the union 11.5 per cent over four years, but the workers are holding out for double that.

Pappas said postal workers' pay has not kept pace with the cost of living.

"The 11 per cent doesn't even top out what we need for fair wages and living expenses with the rise of gas and food and all the things."

Pappas said employees only walked off the job after exhausting all options at the bargaining table.

"We don't want to strike," Pappas said. "That wasn't necessarily the goal, but when you've got unfair negotiations going on at the table, that was now our only option.

"They were out until 10 o'clock last night negotiating and the fact that they can't get it there is ... unfortunate."

Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton confirmed to CBC News that both parties were still negotiating as of midday Friday.

Pappas said in addition to the pay dispute, the union has already approved changes to the collective agreement that would allow Canada Post to compete with private delivery companies, but said the Crown corporation is delaying implementation over language issues.

She also said the company claims it is losing billions of dollars, but said it's wasting money on things that could be directed to employees.

N.S. government offering options

The union has made suggestions that would help increase revenues for the company, including adding electric vehicle charging stations, postal banking and checking in on seniors while letter carriers make their rounds, Pappas said.

Canada Post has said mail and parcel deliveries will be impacted, but the union and company say federal benefit cheques will still go through, including Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan.

In a news release, the Nova Scotia government said Community Services caseworkers will contact clients who still get cheques directly to arrange pickup.

Beginning next Wednesday, people will be able to take some correspondence that cannot be sent electronically to an Access Nova Scotia centre and the following Saturday, Nov. 30, the centres will hold high-priority items for pickup.

Nova Scotia Health said it does not anticipate significant impacts to its service delivery. It said programs that mail out appointment notices will use alternative methods, including phone calls, to communicate with patients and clients.

Meanwhile, Elections Nova Scotia is warning voters to avoid putting write-in ballots in the mail. Instead, they suggest contacting a returning office to make arrangements to get the ballot counted.