OTTAWA, June 15 (UPI) -- After 12 days of rotating strikes, Canada Post locked out some 50,000 workers and shut down mail delivery late Tuesday night, the corporation said.
"If we allow the uncertainty created by the rotating strikes to continue, our ability to remain financially self-sufficient and not become a burden on Canadian taxpayers will be in jeopardy," the government corporation said.
The action came after workers walked off the job in two of the largest cities for 24 hours.
"Canada Post's estimated losses are approaching $100 million after today's strike in Montreal and Toronto and that figure is climbing daily," the company said.
Negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have dragged on for about seven months. The union began rotating strikes about two weeks ago, its first strike action in 14 years, Postmedia News said.
Deadlocked issues include wages, sick time, vacation and pensions.
Canada Post says it can't accommodate the demands as there has been a 17 percent decline in traditional letter mail volume per address since 2006 as customers are increasingly turning to electronic mail and private competitors.
