Canada Post still slow to deliver

It has been a week since Canada Post employees were legislated back to work, but many Canadians are still checking their mailboxes in vain.

Both the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post agree that mail delivery is not yet up to speed, but neither side takes the blame for the delays.

Meantime, customers arecomplaining.

Janet Murphy, owner of a children's toy boutique in St. John's,said Canada Post delivers the bulk of her American merchandise.

In the aftermath of the lockout,she hasn't been able tolocateher wareswithtracking numbers.

"It just says 'In Canada' and it can't tell me what's happening with it right now,"Murphy told the CBC's Vik Adhopia.

When she calls Canada Post, Murphy added, the companyassures her it's doing all it can to return to business as usual.

Sides disagree on reasons for backlog

Alain Duguay, CUPW president of the Montreal local, said the delays are not accidental. He accuses Canada Post of deliberately dragging its feet to restore the pre-lockout level of service.

In an interview with CBC Radio's Daybreak in Montreal, hedescribed his local post plant as "full, full, full" worse than during the holiday season.

"It's not a decision of the workers,"said Duguay. "The workers are mad because they can't deliver the mail."

Denis Lemelin, national president of CUPW,said Canada Post won't pay its workers the overtimeneeded tospeed upthe system.

"It seems they don't want to spend money to deliver the mail," said Lemelin. "Some mail [has been] in the system since June 15, so this mail has to be delivered."

Canada Postspokesperson Anick Losier agreed thatthesystemhasbeen clogged with"piles and piles" of mail.

Losiertold Daybreak thatanother wave of mail rolled inafterthe lockout, as many people had been waiting to send off items.

"We are limiting overtime," she said. "It is going to take some time. Even if we added overtime right now it wouldn't make the mail move faster."

Losier said mechanized equipment is running 24 hours a day, and that Canada Post is handling the situation in a way that is "fiscally responsible."

"We just lost a lot of money. We lost over $200 millionin a month," said Losier, who added that Canada Post hasseen business move to itscompetitors.

"We have a lot of rebuilding to do. Not only clearing the backlog but rebuilding our brand."

She said customers will see their mail in "the next week or so," but the union suggested it could take longer.