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| Fri, January 16, 2004
Too cold for Hull posties By TOBI COHEN, Ottawa Sun NEITHER RAIN, nor wind, nor sleet, nor snow can keep the postal delivery person from his or her appointed rounds -- except maybe January temperatures in the capital region. It was too cold to deliver the mail, according to 10 letter carriers in Hull who are facing possible disciplinary action from Canada Post. The company launched an investigation this week against the employees, who operate out of the Edmonton St. depot, and began interviews yesterday to determine whether their actions last Friday were justified. Canada Post spokeswoman Martine Lepine said the company takes weather very seriously and has a number of measures in place to ensure that letter carriers, who spend an average of five hours a day on the road, can complete their tasks safely. ACCESS TO VANS She said they're encouraged to take a 10-minute break every 40 minutes, even if it means billing for overtime. They're also given taxi chits and access to Canada Post vans to warm up and each postal worker is outfitted with a hooded parka, winter boots, a cardigan, scarf, neck warmer, balaclava, gloves and mitts. "They have to attempt delivery using all these resources," Lepine said. "In the case of the 10 letter carriers, we're investigating whether or not procedures were followed." Lepine said management also had questions about the employees' motives because at least five of the 10 employees in question were driving delivery vans that day. Canadian Union of Postal Workers spokesman Philippe Arbour said staff went out of their way to attempt delivery. While Lepine said this was the only such incident among all of Canada's 20,000 postal workers, 1,000 of whom work in the National Capital Region, Arbour said most letter carriers in Quebec have arrangements with local management so they haven't had to formally exercise their contractual right to refuse work if they feel their health or safety is jeopardized. He said there's a hierarchy to delivering mail in which express and priority items as well as social security cheques are delivered first, followed by apartment and business deliveries. Arbour said the 10 workers ensured the essentials were delivered before asking if they could do odd jobs around the office instead of completing their routes for the day. "The employer said, 'No, you're going to do the routes you're supposed to, otherwise there will be disciplinary action,' " he said. The 10 workers, who are among 57 full-time letter carriers in Hull, could face temporary suspension or having $1,000 docked from their pay. |
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