Three arrested after outside activists return to Canada Post sorting centre
Three people were arrested then released with trespassing tickets Wednesday morning as demonstrators again picketed at Canada Post’s mail processing plant in support of posties who were ordered back to work, according to an organizer.
About 40 people attended the early-morning protest, said Dylan Penner of People for Postal Workers. It’s the second protest in Ottawa this week as activists stage demonstrations across the country.
“We were there today to have a community picket and we succeeded in ensuring there was no mail in or out today,” Penner said, adding that demonstrators contend that postal workers are having their Charter rights denied by the back-to-work legislation passed last week.
Similar legislation passed by prime minister Stephen Harper’s government was subsequently found to be unconstitutional, Penner said, adding that demonstrators aim to pressure Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to repeal the legislation and pressure Canada Post to negotiate a “fair” deal with postal workers on issues including mounting injury rates and pay equity.
“While postal workers have been legislated back to work, there are millions of other workers from coast to coast that are not restricted by that legislation,” he said, pointing to mounting actions across Canada.
Police said that the demonstrators arrived at the Sandford Fleming Avenue facility in the wee hours and estimated their number at about 30 and arrests at “a few.” A spokeswoman said that investigation into Monday and Wednesday demonstrations was ongoing. No further information was released.
Canada Post said Monday that “individuals are illegally obstructing the movement of mail” at its facilities in Ottawa, Hamilton and Oshawa.
“We’ll continue to take appropriate action to address illegal activity impacting the collection and delivery of mail and parcels,” the corporation said.
In Ottawa on Monday, many of the protesters were from the Revolutionary Communist Party Ottawa branch and the International Workers of the World, a spokesman said.
On Saturday, Canada Post reported that it had experienced illegal picketing by people “who are not employees of Canada Post and have no affiliation with the company” despite the Ontario Superior Court injunction against blockades of its Ontario facilities.
The Senate passed back-to-work legislation a week ago as rotating strikes entered their sixth week.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers hailed its “allies” Monday, pointing to blockades of Canada Post facilities in Ottawa, Oshawa and Hamilton and to demonstrations across the country over the weekend.
Six people were arrested in Halifax over the weekend for blockading a mail facility; further pickets were held in London Tuesday.
In a “message for Canadians,” the corporation said on its website that “due to unprecedented backlogs, Canada Post has suspended its delivery standard guarantees for all products until further notice.”
We were there today to have a community picket and we succeeded in ensuring there was no mail in or out today.