Canada's class struggle

Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are on strike -- beginning with rotating strikes in selected cities but quite possibly escalating into a full scale shutdown if the corporation remains intransigent. Post office management has as one its key demands the implementation of a two-tier wage system. New hires would be paid 30 per cent less than existing employees. Workers doing identical work, working side by side, would be paid dramatically different wages.It's the first stage of a two-part divide-and-conquer strategy to lower the benefits of all Canada Post workers. The first stage is to create two classes of postal workers, one with much lower benefits. The next stage will come in future bargaining when management comes with a new proposal to equalize the benefits by lowering those of the senior workers and slightly raising those of the junior employees. And management would not hesitate to remind the junior workers that the reason they have less is because the senior workers agreed to it.

If management prevail it is certain that it will serve as a precedent for all other employers.

Catherine Swift, head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business declared "What would be ideal is getting rid of public-sector unions entirely"