Nobody at Canada Post seems to see the big picture. One wonders whether those in this declining service realize the publicity nightmare a strike is causing.
Managers and employees can blame each other all they want. But, at the end of the day, Canadians will be looking for alternatives to the post office.
Businesses and individuals are using mail less. Cheaper ways of communicating have made mail less relevant.
Fax machines are in offices and homes. Six-day delivery has been replaced by six minute transmissions.
Information flows through virtual channels. E-mail is replacing the old-fashioned pen-pal system. Web publications are replacing door-to-door delivery. People even send Christmas cards through cyberspace.
On top of it all, courier services and bus companies have invaded the shipping market, and banks have organized direct bill payment systems. Companies are depositing wages directly into employee accounts. Governments are doing the same with GST Credits and Seniors’ Benefits.
Canada Post isn’t the big kid on the block. It can’t afford any interruption of service that will upset clients who rely on the post office.
There are still customers out there.
Not everyone is connected to the Internet. But it’s a growing trend. If Canada Post isn’t careful, Internet experiments during the strike may have people exchanging e-mail addresses rather than postal codes.
The Canadian Direct Marketing Association, representing businesses who rely mainly on mail to advertise and deliver is concerned.
The industry employs 231,000 Canadians and represents $11.2 billion. With Canada Post delivering the industry’s two million parcels and publications per day, a strike cuts off their main artery for business.
Alternatives are expensive. But as the courier industry grows, long-term prices will fall. For now, the association gives the post office a vote of confidence. But how much patience will entrepreneurs have before doing business in another medium?
The post office is hardly the monopoly it used to be. Any strike will alienate remaining clients. Customers already have options, and there’s no telling what technology is on the way.
The issues of this dispute are meaningless. Both sides at Canada Post better start co-operating to achieve the greatest service for their customers.
Otherwise, they may end up like the pony-express or telegraph. Obsolete.
Correction
The Party Palace on Elgin Street closed after it was bought out. It did not go bankrupt. Wrong information appeared in the Nov. 7 issue. Centretown News apologizes for the error.