'I wasn't believed': Injured Canada Post employee describes unsafe workplace

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As changes in technology have shifted Canada Post's focus from letter delivery to shipping bigger and heavier parcels,one worker says the job has simply become "unsafe."

Leslie, who has worked as a mail carrier for 19 years, told The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti that she had beenunwittingly working with a damaged tendonsince injuring her ankle on the job two years ago.

"I worked in pain for a long time and, frankly, I wasn't believed that there was a problem," Leslie said.

"It's the kind of workplace where you've just got to suck it up and keep going," she added.

The CBC is not using Leslie's last name, because she fears she will be penalized for speaking out.

Leslie said she's also had shoulder, neck, hip, knee, and joint injuries.

She's not alone, according to the Canada Union of Postal Workers president. Twenty-fiveper cent of letter carriers were injured last year, said MikePalecek.

Palecek told CBCNews that workers arestriking overan "injury crisis."

The Current asked Canada Post for an interview but did not receive a response.

Canada Post had offered a new $10-million health and safety fund it says will make the corporation a "model organization in safety." On workload, the corporation says it has proposed several measures to "work with the union to better manage employee workload and adjust routes annually for volume changes."

The Current asked Patty Hajdu, the minister of employment, workforce development and labour, for an interview, but she was not available. The federal governmentannounced Wednesday it was appointing a special mediator to help settle the strike.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.

With files from CBCNews. Produced by The Current's IdellaSturinoand SamiraMohyeddin.