The service has released its deadlines for posting cards and gifts for Christmas, but the dates could be in jeopardy, with the possibility of 24 hour strikes still on the horizon.

The Transport Worker's Union has warned that Australia Post's StarTrack courier business had still not settled the dispute with workers which lead to strike action in October.

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Executive general manager of business and government for Australia Post, Gary Starr, said the organisation aimed to recruit more than 4000 Christmas casual team members.

"We're seeing record parcel volumes with more than 5.9 million households shopping online a month - that's more than half of all Australian households, and it's showing no signs of slowing as we head into the online sales season and Christmas," he said.

"That is why we've planned ahead with extra air freight capacity, weekend deliveries and recruitment of thousands of new team members to ramp up our delivery services, parcel sorting and customer care, and we'll be delivering right up until Christmas Eve."

The union's national secretary Michael Kaine said the StarTrack enterprise agreement expired in December 2020.

"As December looms, StarTrack expects workers to step up for an enormous Christmas period without certainty over their jobs, pay or conditions,'' he said.

"That is no way to thank the workers who have generated record revenues while being attacked by their employer."

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Australia Post StarTrack spokeswoman Michelle Skehan said the company was making an effort to negotiate.

"While StarTrack continues to bargain in good faith, the TWU continues to move the goalposts which is frustrating for our team members who simply want to get on with serving Australia - at first it claimed it was about job security, and with a largely agreed approach there, it now claims it's about pay,'' she said.

"This is despite repeated public statements from TWU Officials that this is not a wages dispute.

"StarTrack has some of the best conditions in the industry, and last year we paid all frontline team members a one per cent 'thank you' bonus when none of our competitors did."

For now, for sending within Australia the key dates to remember to send parcels by are Monday 13 December for Parcel Post and Monday 20 December for Express Post.

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