Rotating postal strikes return to Vancouver Metro, hit B.C. parcel hub

Rotating strikes by Canada Post workers have returned to Metro Vancouver.

Angu Parmar, third vice president for the local Vancouver Community of Postal Workers (CUPW) said about 1,600 workers at a Richmond exit on the job and were picketing on Saturday.

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The facility spells and dispatches parcels and mail for depots across the province.

"They will be missing delivery for sure on Monday or Tuesday. There's a lot of mail inside, "said Parmar.

"It's a parcel hub basically. Everything comes here for the whole province and we are going out and dispatching it. "

The union said locals in all other B.C. communities that saw job action on Saturday.

Postal workers have been carrying out rotating strikes since Oct. 22, with the job action now having touched more than 150 communities.

Parmar said the union had opted for a spin to get its message across to the employer while trying to minimize the impact on customers.

WATCH: Postal workers launch job action at Richmond, B.C. plant

"We are hoping that Canada is coming to the table and bargains with us," she said.

The rotating strike last targeted the Richmond facility on Oct. 26.

The union, which represents about 50,000 postal workers, says it is striking over health and safety concerns, forced overtime and what it says are issues related to the growing number of parcel deliveries.

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The union and Canada Post a comment for the new year.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested he was running out of patience with the labor dispute, and that it could not reach a deal.

Labor Minister Patty Hadju appointed a special mediator in a dispute Canada Post and the union bridge their differences.

-With files from Amanda Connolly and the Canadian Press