Postal workers live and
work amongst us, and play an
important role in the
Canadian economy. They are
our friends, relatives, and
colleagues who interact with
us every day in the course
of delivering mail and
providing other services.
Currently, postal workers
across Canada are locked in
a dispute with their
employer, Canada Post, which
is a crown corporation and
which is demanding major
concessions. As often
happens in such disputes,
various high government
officials and media pundits
have stepped up their
attacks on these workers in
an attempt to turn public
opinion against them and
their struggle.
But there are some very good
reasons to support these
workers. Here are three of
them.
First of all, contrary to
what various Canada Post
officials are claiming,
postal workers are not a
"cost of production" that
are some kind of "burden" on
"taxpayers". Labour acting
on nature is the source of
all new added value. Postal
workers, through their
labour, create tremendous
amounts of new value for the
economy, just as mill
workers do, and just as
other transportation and
communication workers do.
Indeed, as a crown
corporation, Canada Post has
consistently makes profits
over the last few years,
despite the fact that
electronic mail usage has
grown significantly. The
contribution of postal
workers to the creation of
this new value should be
praised, not belittled.
Secondly, postal workers are
fighting against major
concessions that Canada Post
is demanding be imposed on
them, including drastically
reducing the starting wages
and benefits for new
employees, undermining
health and safety
provisions, cutting back
staffing to the extent that
efficient mail service is
being compromised, and so
on. It is very important in
the present economic
situation that both public
and private sector workers
resist such concessions, as
they are part of the
campaign of the big banks
and big business to shift
the burden of the economic
and financial crisis onto
the backs of workers and
other sections of people,
whether it is in Canada, the
U.S. or other countries.
We are seeing the effects of
the slashing of wages,
pensions, and benefits in
quite dramatic form in the
U.S. economy which has
stalled and, many feel, is
in deep trouble. Even some
establishment pundits are
admitting that the deep cuts
in purchasing power of
millions of workers has
contributed to a situation
whereby the U.S. economy
can't get back on its feet.
Low wages mean low
purchasing power. More
concessions will only add to
the problem, whether it is
in Canada or the U.S.
Thirdly, postal workers have
taken a strong stand to keep
Canada Post as a public
enterprise. Having key
infrastructure, such as the
post office and rail, in
public hands is an important
aspect in building and
maintaining a national
economy, as well as the
fabric of the country
itself. It is especially
crucial in a world which is
increasingly dominated by
global corporations and
banks that move around the
world like pirates and have
no allegiance to
communities, regions or even
countries.
Despite denials, there are
various signs that the new
Canada Post CEO and the
Harper government want to
privatize the more
profitable sections of the
corporation and end
universal mail service. This
is irresponsible and would
damage, not only the
economy, but the integrity
of the nation. We have
already seen what has
happened with the
privatization of CN Rail
and, more recently, BC Rail.
Crucial national and
provincial rail
infrastructure is now in the
hands of foreign investors
and financiers.
There comes a point, in a
vast country such as Canada,
when, if you continue to
chop up public
infrastructure and sell off
national institutions, the
country itself becomes
unglued and loses its reason
to exist.
Those business leaders who
echo the calls for
privatization of the post
office, should talk to some
of the mill, mine, coal and
grain companies about the
problems they are
experiencing with rail
service and rail rates, now
that they are at the mercy
of the foreign-owned CN Rail
monopoly. Privatization of
the post office would create
even bigger problems,
especially with pricing and
service outside the big city
centres such as Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver.
For all of the above reasons
and more, Canada Post
management should drop its
demands for concessions from
postal workers, and it
should especially throw the
privatization idea out the
window. Postal workers
deserve decent wages,
benefits, and working
conditions, and Canada Post
needs to remain a key public
enterprise that serves as
one of the bulwarks of our
country.
Peter Ewart is a
columnist and writer based
in Prince George, British
Columbia. He can be reached
at:
peter.ewart@shaw.ca