Canada Post: employees summoned to explain unauthorized info

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Going postal: employees summoned to explain unauthorized info release

Two area postal workers have been summoned to disciplinary interviews after going public with information about the amalgamation of the Trail, Rossland and Castlegar post offices that Canada Post says was “unauthorized” and potentially inaccurate.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says that the federal Crown corporation is “threatening” the workers, “upset that their plans to restructure their postal outlets in Trail, Castlegar and Rossland without following the Canadian Postal Service Charter . . . were exposed to the public.”

At issue is information given MP Alex Atamanenko by two local union members; Atamanenko said in a radio report mid-month that the changes are costing Canada Post extra money, service is going downhill, and that the community was not consulted on amalgamation plans.

That radio report and the contents of a Feb. 9 letter from the MP to Canada Post’s CEO on the issue are cited as the topic of the workers’ two disciplinary interviews. The union’s press release does not name the workers, but notes one is from Castlegar and the other from Trail.

Local 842 president Ed Evans confirmed Saturday that he is the Trail employee in question and he feels the disciplinary action is “unjustified,” but declined to comment further.

The Trail, Rossland and Castlegar post offices technically became one on Jan. 10, with the consolidation of regional sorting operations in Castlegar, which became the central “post office,” with the other two re-designated as “installations.”

Not that the operational change matters, according to Canada Post.

“The recent processing changes and designation change that have taken place are internal changes with absolutely no impact on the public. The union was consulted about the changes and the collective bargaining agreement was followed,” wrote spokesperson Lillian Au in an email to the Times when the amalgamation issue first became public in January.

But the union and MP aren’t alone in raising concerns about the quiet move: it also came up at Trail council last week.

The city is certain the lack of consultation with the community on the change is contrary to the relatively new Canadian Postal Service Charter announced by the federal government in September 2009.

The charter maintains a moratorium on the closure of rural post offices and states: “at least one month before deciding to permanently close, move or amalgamate corporate post offices, Canada Post will meet with affected customers and communities to jointly explore options and find practical solutions that address customer concerns.”

The union was notified about the pending amalgamation of Trail, Rossland, Castlegar and Nelson post offices on July 30, 2009, though subsequent discussion eventually led to the City of Nelson’s exclusion from the new system.

Though no response has yet been received to the mayor’s Feb. 12 letter to Canada Post, which reprimands the Crown agency for its lack of consultation, the city received second-hand information from Atamanenko, who said CEO Moya Greene indicated to him that there is no requirement to consult with communities on “operational matters.”

Trail has decided to press ahead with the formal complaint process, which requires going first to Canada Post’s customer service department, before the issue can be taken before the Canada Post ombudsman, a position created to assist members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated by a government service.