Canada Post is a public sector success story - CUPW says stop cutbacks and improve public postal service

For Immediate Release

May 4, 2006

Ottawa – Canada Post’s annual report announced record volumes and $199 million in net profits in 2005, its eleventh consecutive year of making millions and its twenty-fifth year of providing universal, affordable public postal service, said the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

“In spite of its success, Canada Post used the 2005 annual report as an opportunity to suggest that our public post office is in trouble and needs to be more profitable,” said CUPW President Deborah Bourque.
The corporation’s media release announcing its annual report said “changing customer needs means our current business model is not sustainable and we must continue to innovate as we seek additional sources of revenue to counter losses from the ongoing erosion of Lettermail volumes.” But figures in the annual report show that lettermail volumes increased. So did profits.
Bourque noted that Canada Post is doing well no matter how you look at it. The standard postage rate is among the lowest of G7 countries. You can get a letter across the country quickly for less than the price of a Tim’s small coffee – no small feat in a country this size. As well, the corporation’s service improves consistently and ranks with the best in the world thanks to the hard work of 54,000 postal workers.

“Our members have worked hard to maintain quality service at affordable rates and we’re going to make sure we continue that work through accountable, transparent and democratic planning,” said Bourque.

CUPW is currently demanding that the public and postal workers have more information and input into their public postal service.

“We want to make sure that profits are invested in public postal services and jobs, such as keeping community post offices and plants open. We’re going to keep a strong public voice in a public postal service that connects families, communities and businesses from coast to coast to coast,” said Bourque.

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Additional Information: Lynn Bue, 1st National Vice-President at (613) 236-7230 (ext. 7901)