The strike at Canada Post is over -- finally, after 4-1/2 weeks of immense losses to the Canadian economy. It all started when the workers demanded pay, benefits and job guarantees the financially struggling Post simply could not afford. So, the workers went on strike. And for maximum benefit they went straight for the jugular... striking right in the Christmas shopping season, the most critical time for thousands of small businesses (like Taiga Works), who depend on this short time span to survive the rest of the year.
This is not just a dispute between workers and their employer. It's grand extortion, plain and simple! A hold-up of the entire nation for ransom, just like a major crime... But for whatever reason, it is not treated as such. If a group of 55,000 workers is allowed to terrorize a population of 40 million by incapacitating the country's postal system, that is not Democracy. That is Mob Rule. However, people's response to the union's ruthless action and the government's inertia was astoundingly weak and docile -- no angry protests or assaults on picket lines.
Now, after over one month of crippling losses to untold numbers of hapless victims and the country's economy as a whole, the strike has ended. In typical fashion, the government closed the barn door after the horses already bolted. Of course, they could have acted much sooner to prevent the damage, but purposely didn't until there was a sufficient build-up of public pressure that would exonerate them from being accused of union busting... Cold-blooded political calculation.
In civilized, decently run countries, workers in essential services are usually not allowed to strike. In exchange, they enjoy good wages, benefits and job security. In Switzerland, generations of Direct Democracy have taught its citizens to run their country responsibly. Strikes are practically unheard of. Swiss people know that in war and strikes everyone loses. So they abstain from both, settling labour disputes by reasonable negotiation & compromise, rather than combative action. This approach has proven to work very well, and made Switzerland one of the world's richest countries (per capita).
Canada Post is losing massive amounts of money, year after year. The operation in its current form is unsustainable. Management has a plan to stanch the losses and lead the company back to health, but that runs counter to the union's demands. Germany got rid of its money-losing postal problem by privatizing the whole operation in 1994. And it has never looked back. Today, sending a 2kg parcel from Canada to Germany costs about twice as much as sending it from Germany to Canada, which means that Canada Post's shipping rates are prohibitively expensive.
Looks like the time has come for some major changes.
