Canada Post took to social media late Wednesday afternoon and issued a statement about the pending postal disruption.

CUPW is setting the stage to issue 72-hour strike notice. https://t.co/MAoHobXfba

— Canada Post (@canadapostcorp) August 17, 2016

The statement blames the union for not willing to work with the crown corporation as it relates to the new realities it faces with increased use of electronic mail. “The postal service must adapt to its new reality as Canadians lead increasingly digital lives. The union has unfortunately shown no interest in addressing the fundamental issues that threaten the long-term future of the postal service,” the statement read.

The statement goes on to question why the union isn’t willing to let the strike mandate expire. ” The union has repeatedly assured Canadians that it does not want to strike, therefore letting the strike mandate expire on August 25 should not be an issue,” it read.

Under legislation the union is required to give the corporation 72 hours notice of its intent to strike. The strike mandate is only valid for 60 days and if it expires the union would not be able to walkout before they took another strike vote and issued notice.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) fired back on social media two hours later.

What Is Canada Post Waiting For? https://t.co/9q37JuR5JN #canlab #negotiations #telljustin2016

— CUPW (@cupw) August 18, 2016

CUPW issued a statement that could only be described as reactionary. It quoted the Canada Post statement and attributed it as “the spin”.

“As the end of our strike vote mandate looms ever closer, what is Canada Post waiting for? Are they content to sit back and see what we will do on August 25? Do they want us to take some form of strike action so that they can then lock us out? Do they want negotiated collective agreements or do they want to battle this out?,” said CUPW.

Although both sides of the dispute claim to want to negotiate a settlement, it seems unlikely to happen before the strike mandate expires next week.

Should a disruption to services happen many large corporations and governments have put alternative methods to deliver services in place.

In Manitoba, for example, the government will be issuing cheques for pickup at various offices across the province. They have also put procedures in place to ensure other services delivered by mail also have alternative delivery methods.

POSTAL DISRUPTON | MANITOBA CONTINUES WITH CHEQUE PICK UP OVER CONCERNS OF POSTAL DISRUPTION

-News4 Staff-