Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, June 13, 2011

Canada Post trying to provoke full walk-out, union charges

The union representing 48,000 postal workers says Canada Post is trying to provoke a full walkout by cutting delivery to three days a week.

“Canada Post is doing everything it can to provoke the union into a national walkout in the hope that the government will intervene,” said Denis Lemelin, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Lemelin said it was part of a plan to have the federal government bring back-to-work legislation.

The union began rotating strikes on June 3, hitting cities large and small across the country, usually for no more than 24 hours. The Greater Toronto Area, which has two of the largest mail and parcel sorting plants, has not been hit yet.

Canada Post said last week that since job action began, its mail volumes have dropped from 40 million items a day to 20 million and that losses to direct revenue caused by the union’s actions are already at $65 million and growing as major customers cancel contracts.

As a result, it said home delivery would be cut to three days a week, in most urban areas, with service only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, beginning this week.

The union labelled the move, “a partial lockout,” where its members’ hours were being cut, which would affect their paycheques. Lemelin also disputes that volumes have that much, showing photos from Vancouver and Calgary with lots of mail.

Full Article
Source: Toronto Star 

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