The union representing postal workers says the high cost of gas is hurting mail carriers in rural and suburban areas.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers held a protest outside the office of Liberal MP and federal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc in Shediac on Wednesday afternoon.
“Rural delivery workers are sick and tired of using money out of their pockets for work reasons,” Line Blanchard Doucet, president of CUPW’s Moncton region local, said in an email.
Rural and suburban mail carriers use their own vehicles to deliver the mail, getting reimbursed up to a limit set by the Canada Revenue Agency, according to CUPW.
But the feds determined the cap back in December, based on figures from the previous month, meaning postal workers are effectively subsidizing Canada Post at the pump, the union says.
“Fuel prices are in unprecedented territory and have impacted the entire industry,” Canada Post spokesperson Phil Legault said in an email.
“Canada Post is adapting to increased costs across many aspects of our operations.”
He added that Canada Post has “discussed the matter of fluctuating fuel prices with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers with a review and examination of elements of the [rural and suburban mail carriers’] collective agreement.”
A spokesperson for Minister LeBlanc declined to comment.
LeBlanc is the longtime MP for the Beauséjour riding, which includes Sackville, and is Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
