It has been over a month since the workers of Canada Post began their strike in defence against the crown corporations plans to attack wages; a paltry 11% increase after years of inflation! This is in addition to schemes to Uber-ize weekend work to further drive down wages in the long term and to increase precarity. At the beginning of the strike, Trudeau’s government proudly announced they would not move towards a back to work mandate. At the time, the talking heads were far too busy bickering in parliament about who cared about the livelihoods of Canadian workers more, as food banks registered record-breaking claimants. The parliament is, after all, a champion of collective bargaining; it has repeatedly uttered ‘nevermind’ to worker grievances; Nevermind the rail workers! Nevermind the port workers! Nevermind the Postal workers in 2018! However, in spite of these paltry promises, Labour Minister Mackinnon has gone full steam ahead with a back to work order, ‘alarmed’ about the rising economic woes and hysteria coming from the ‘business community’.

Across the world, workers have faced massive attacks by the bosses as capitalism spirals deeper into its crisis of declining profitability. Inflation has taken its toll on our pockets, where wages ‘stagnant’ for decades have now clearly begun to decline. This is in addition to other spikes in cost of living. In Montreal alone rents have risen up to 40% over the past 5 years and the average grocery basket has increased in price by up to 26%. As shown by the strike grievances, another aspect of this wholesale attack has been the Uber-ization of work. From New York to Beijing, capital is implementing piece-wages to pit workers against each other, allowing capital to favour cheaper labour to ramp up the pace for work across the board, leading to widespread wage immiseration.

Not content with merely squeezing workers, capital turns to militarism and imperialist rivalry as the red button solution for its crisis. Already conflicts are raging across the globe, where workers are forced to pay the ultimate price for the national interest of their respective ‘business communities’. Supplementing military wars there have also been trade wars, but as history has shown us time and time again, the latter leads to the former. The undeniable direction of this crisis is indeed the violent destitution of workers across the world.

With Minister Mackinnon’s introduction it seems the postal strike will come to an end on the corporations terms. Perhaps another strike will come in 2025 or at a later date. Regardless of any imposed ‘deal’, the struggle of the working class will never end. Workers can never be completely defeated because capital needs us to do all the work. We are their means to profit. In order to succeed, future struggles must not be waged as employees in the dark to union negotiations. They must be defined by the conscious initiative of the workers themselves. The strike committees of the 1971 general strike in Quebec, and the neighborhood assemblies of 2012 point in that direction. In the meantime talk to your coworkers and plan together! Go to other picket lines and show your solidarity! To the next struggle always!