Post offices and postal outlets should be bustling in the days leading up to Christmas, but a Vancouver small business owner says that his location is the slowest he has ever seen due to the Canada Post strike.
And though the federal government has ordered an end to the strike that began nearly a month ago, small business owner Azm Jamiul Haque says that the news comes “weeks too late” for him and his family.
Haque and his wife, Farhana Tasmin, run the Centre Point Postal Outlet, a Canada Post-authorized dealer on Main Street and East 13th in Vancouver.
They woke up to the news of Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon announcing his decision to invoke his authority to end the strike under the Canada Labour Code on Friday morning.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
“It feels good to receive the news, but we had hoped that the strike would have ended earlier,” Haque told Daily Hive. “It’s happening weeks too late, but at least we have a chance to work on the holiday rush.
“We have had lots of people come in daily to ask for updates. Many customers have been frustrated, though our store has had lots of support, too.”
Over 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) began the nationwide Canada Post strike on November 15.
Earlier this week, MacKinnon advised the postal service and the CUPW to reach a deal after weeks of failed negotiations.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
“We hope to hear from Canada Post soon and return to regular hours on Monday, December 16,” Haque added. “We have lots of backlog to go through and appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience. The backroom is completely full of 200 to 300 parcels and lots of letters that haven’t been picked up since mid-November.”
The holiday season is normally the busiest time of the year for Canada Post authorized dealers like Centre Point, but the entrepreneur explained that business is down 95% compared to previous years.
“There has been about a $200,000 loss of my business during this ongoing strike due to the impact of low to no traffic to my front store, Print Express, which is interdependent of the postal outlet.”
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Centre Point offers a variety of services to the community in addition to being a Canada Post outlet, including printing, key cutting, engraving, postal boxes, Moneygram, and passport photos.
They had to cut their store hours during the strike but will return to regular hours now that the strike is over.
“We bought this store last year because we wanted to own a family-run business. We were looking for something stable, especially with an 11-month-old baby boy.
“This strike has impacted us mentally and financially through the loss of foot traffic, sales and inventory and the financial burden. Between 75 to 85% of our income comes from solely operating Canada Post Outlet services.”
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Haque explained that authorized dealers pay for all Canada Post supplies up front, including stamps, coins, boxes, and packaging. Due to the strike, those items have been sitting in his outlet without Christmas presents and greeting cards to fill them.
“We were told to be all stocked up for the holiday rush, but the strike put a stop to that.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) estimates that the postal strike has cost small and medium-sized businesses billions. It has also divided Canadians, with many taking to social media in either support of or against the union.
“We talked to a few other postal outlets and they are in a similar situation as us,” Haque said. “I hope Canada Post will compensate Independent Authorized dealers (postal outlets) for the strike.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
“We understand the postal workers’ rights to strike and frustration too. It just needs to be resolved so that we can operate our outlet and move forward now. It dragged on far too long, and we were worried we may have to close down.”
As postal service resumes early next week, Haque hopes that Canadians return to using Canada Post and authorized dealers such as his.
“When you use Canada Post and outlets like ours, the money stays in the community. The Mount Pleasant community has been very supportive through this hard time, dropping by to check in on me and my wife and our baby. They buy snacks and print items to help us survive during this strike, and we look forward to helping them with all of their postal needs soon.”