SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Postal workers across the country were locked out by Canada Post Tuesday night, sending Yellowknife's unionized postal workers back to the picket line.

Canada Post unionized workers Roberta Hazelton, left, Tanya Hicks, Lynda Lefrancois and Loretta Kaminski were locked out Wednesday. Postal workers will be on the picket line until their employer allows them to go back to work, or until the federal government proceeds with back-to-work legislation. - Nicole Veerman/NNSL photo

Less than 24 hours after the lock-out began, the federal government announced it would be proceeding with back-to-work legislation, which should be in place by next week. But until the legislation is passed, Yellowknife's unionized postal workers will remain on the sidewalk in front of the Franklin Avenue post office, said Lydia Lefrancois, president of the Yellowknife branch of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Had the rotating strike continued on Wednesday, instead of a lockout, only 33 employees would have been on the picket line in all of Canada, rather than about 48,000, she said.

"It halts all of Canada right now. With us only having a rotating strike, it would affect a city for a day and then you pick another city," she said. "Instead Canada Post sent every single one of us to the sidewalk.

"It's not good for the general public. It's not good for us. It's totally disrespectful to the Canadian public," Lefrancois said of Canada Post's decision to lock out it's employees.

"We as the workers of the country are forced to give 72 hours notice (before a strike), whereas the corporation can just say, 'No, you're gone,' and shut the whole country down without any notice to anybody," she said. "It's totally disrespectful."

The lockout came 12 days after the nationwide rotating strike began.

On it's website, Canada Post said the strike was damaging the viability of the corporation.

"The accelerating decline in volumes and revenue combined with the inability to deliver mail on a timely and safe basis has left the company with no choice but to make this decision."

Yellowknife held its 24-hour strike June 9. At that time, Lefrancois was happy to have her turn on the picket line to show support for Canada Post's unionized workers, who are fighting against their employers' attempt to change their health benefits and to reduce pay for new Canada Post workers by about 30 per cent.

Canada Post has sited revenue losses of about $100 million since the strike began as one of the reasons for locking out its employees.

Lefrancois said she finds that figure unbelievable.

"That number has to be bogus," she said. "Most post offices were all open, mail was still moving and if they lost that much in 10 days with most offices open, when all offices are open, how much money do they actually make in a year? They don't make, like, $100 billion."

The union proposed putting an end to the strike last week. Lefrancois said the union wanted to have the old collective agreement in place while negotiating with Canada Post, but the corporation said 'No.'

During Thursday's lockout, Canada Post held a barbecue for rural and suburban mail carriers, who are under a separate collective agreement, at the processing plant.

Canada Post didn't return calls by press time.

"It's a slap in the face," said Lefrancois. "It's totally a division of the post office.

"Shame on Canada Post."

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