Canada Post workers back on the picket line in St. John's

Canada Post workers at the main sorting station on Kenmount Road in St. John's are out in the wet snow Wednesday morning to stand on the picket line.

The strike began Tuesday night at about 7 p.m.

It's part of a national Canadian Union of Postal Workers rotating strike, which has so far affected many major cities in the country, including Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto.

Fred Hutton/CBC
Fred Hutton/CBC

The strikes first hit the province in early November, when hundreds of Canada Post employees across the Avalon walked out of their jobs for about a day.

The union wants Canada Post to provide greater job security through the creation of more full-time positions, arguing that temporary workers are consistently paid less, have no guaranteed hours, and have no access to health or dental benefits.

Fred Hutton/CBC
Fred Hutton/CBC

The federal government named a special mediator in late October in hopes of ending the rotating walkouts. But union negotiators say there was little progress during the 2½​ weeks that a special mediator was assigned to the dispute.

With files from Fred Hutton

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