For Immediate Release

Ottawa – Saturday September 12, 2009, the federal Conservatives quietly announced a Canadian Postal Service Charter in an attempt to calm rural residents’ discontent with their public postal service in the run-up to an election.

The two page, 20-point Service Charter mostly reiterates existing policy and announces that the government will maintain a moratorium on rural post office closures. It also introduces an obligation to inform and consult with people at least one month prior to closing, moving or amalgamating their public post office or changing their method of delivery.

A moratorium has existed since 1994 that protects approximately 3800 public post offices in rural and small one-post-office towns.

Canada Post says the corporation will maintain the 1994 moratorium on post office closures as per the Charter, but the actual Charter only mentions rural post offices and doesn’t say anything about maintaining the 1994 moratorium protection of small one-post-office towns.

“It looks like rural and small communities get to keep their public post offices and that all our hard work has paid off, not to mention the incredible work done by hundreds of communities,” said CUPW National President Denis Lemelin.

CUPW has nevertheless taken the precaution of writing to Rob Merrifield, minister responsible for Canada Post, to make sure that the government’s Charter does what Canada Post claims it does vis-a-vis small one-post-office towns. The union has also asked Canada Post for the list of the post offices that are covered by the moratorium.

The “Community Outreach and Consultation” section of the service Charter is also a step in the right direction according to CUPW, but could be strengthened. “One month notice is enough notice to return library books,” said Lemelin, “but hardy enough time for a whole community to discuss a public post office closure.”

CUPW has contacted the Minister’s office to seek clarification about the Service Charter. Many of CUPW’s 56,000 members deliver to, and belong to, small one post office towns.

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