Canada Post and its union have stepped away from the bargaining table and there's no immediate word on when they'll start talking again, as rotating strikes continue to hit selected communities.

About 1,000 postal workers are off the job in Moncton, N.B., and Victoria, the latest cities to be hit by the 24-hour strikes, now in their fifth day.

Canada Post rejected the latest offer from CUPW on Monday and the union says there are no scheduled bargaining talks today. It has not announced where its next strike will take place.

The union told its members Monday that Canada Post had made some positive moves but also took several steps backwards.

The Crown corporation rejected the latest proposal from union negotiators, but backed away from its own thorny proposal to create more part-time positions to deal with a decline in mail volumes.

Canada Post says CUPW's latest proposal didn't offer solutions to problems such as declining mail volumes, increasing competition and electronic substitutes for traditional mail.

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