Canada Post employees are officially on strike following failed negotiations between postal workers and the Crown Corporation.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says over 55,000 employees began a nationwide strike Friday at 12:01 a.m. ET.

“Canada Post had the opportunity to prevent this strike, but it has refused to negotiate real solutions to the problems postal workers face every day,” the union said in a statement.

“Instead, Canada Post left us with no choice when it threatened to change our working conditions and leave our members vulnerable to layoffs.”

STRIKE ON FRIDAY: Here’s what you need to knowhttps://t.co/3vBz2Q61C5#SupportCUPW #canlab #cdnpoli @CanadianLabour pic.twitter.com/R7s00O20gB

— CUPW (@cupw) November 15, 2024

Some of the workers’ demands include wage increases in line with inflation, inclusion of cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in the base pay rate, an increase in short-term disability benefits, an additional 10 days of paid sick leave, improved group benefits, paid meal and rest periods for employees who work five hours or more, employment protection against technological changes, improved staffing, better rights for temporary employees and work breaks for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.

Canada Post said it is disappointed by CUPW’s decision to shut down the postal service.

In a statement on Friday, the employer said it is at a “critical time”, losing $3 billion since 2018 with losses continuing to mount.

“Even so, Canada Post has continued to put forward offers that protect and enhance what is important to our current employees,” the statement said.

“We have offered competitive pay increases (11.5 percent over four years) and additional paid time off, while protecting their defined benefit pension and job security.”

Posten said it remains committed to remaining at the table to negotiate new collective agreements.

How the Canada Post workers’ strike will affect Canadians

According to the Crown Corporation, customers should expect delays.

“This decision will have a significant and immediate impact on the millions of Canadians, small businesses and charities who rely on Canada Post during the busy holiday season,” it said.

“A national strike by CUPW also means service to remote and northern regions dependent on Canada Post will be shut down.”

Mail and packages will not be processed or delivered during the national strike, and some post offices will be closed.

In addition, service guarantees will be affected for items already in the postal network and no new items will be accepted until the strike is over.

Once operations have resumed, the Post Office says all mail and parcels in the postal network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible on a first-in, first-out basis.

It said services may take time to fully return to normal, regardless of the length of the outage.

This comes after postal workers issued a 72 hour strike notice earlier this week.