‘A death trap’: Striking Canada Post workers explain the job’s toll on them
Canada Post workers remain on the picket line, a key point of contention in their demands is their job’s growing physical and mental toll — and they say that’s exacerbated by climate change.From delivering parcels through scorching heatwaves to battling blizzards, Canadian postal workers increasingly face extreme weather conditions that strain their bodies and minds.“In recent years, climate change has shown a bit of a trend,” said Brahm Enslin, local president at CUPW Saskatoon Local 824.“There was an ice storm and we had a rash of injuries,” Enslin added, referring to the storm last year in Saskatoon. “Members that broke their hip just by going out there.”Enslin, 41, has worked at Canada Post for 16 years and said the extreme weather brought on by climate change — whether it’s inhaling smoke from wildfires or delivering mail during storms — has added significant physical and mental pressure to their jobs.And that’s one of the reasons postal workers are demanding more support for these challenges in their new contract, he said.The strike has been ongoing since Nov.
15, when Canada Post workers officially walked off the job after failing to reach an agreement with the Crown corporation. Since then, negotiations between the workers’ union and Canada Post have continued to break down.One of the workers’ demands includes improvements to health and safety, such as lowering the maximum weight employees are required to lift or carry and ensuring the company provides snow tires for vehicles.Also, workers are calling for measures to address climate change, such as negotiating and developing standards for working in extreme temperatures and weather conditions.In an email to Global News on Tuesday, a spokesperson from Canada Post
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