By Euronews AP
Published on
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Air Canada halted plans to restart operations on Sunday following a decision by the union representing 10,000 flight attendants to reject a return to work order.
The ongoing strike was disrupting travel for approximately 130,000 passengers daily during the peak summer travel season.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board mandated airline staff to return to work by 2 PM Sunday following government intervention, with Air Canada intending to resume flights that evening. However, the airline will now begin flights on Monday evening.
Air Canada stated that the union “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.” The union claims the return to work order is unconstitutional and will continue to withhold labor until their demands are met.
Mark Hancock, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, announced that union members would not return to work outside Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, where picketing was taking place.
Hancock torn up the back-to-work order and confirmed union members would not return on Tuesday either. Flight attendants were seen chanting slogans outside Pearson.
A spokeswoman for Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu stated, “The Minister is closely monitoring this situation. The Canada Industrial Relations Board is an independent tribunal.”
Negotiations at a standstill
Less than 12 hours after employees went on strike, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu mandated the 10,000 flight attendants to return to work, expressing concerns about the economic risks and noting the trade tensions with the US. The matter was referred to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The airline informed that the CIRB extended the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by an arbitrator.
The contract dispute intensified with the union declining Air Canada’s request for government-directed arbitration to settle the terms of a new contract.
Hajdu confirmed her government is not anti-union and acknowledged the stalemate between the parties.
Air Canada stated that affected passengers can request a full refund on the airline’s website or mobile app. The airline also offered alternative travel arrangements through other carriers where possible, warning that rebooking may be challenging due to the high summer travel demand.
Negotiations between Air Canada and CUPE have been ongoing for about eight months without a tentative agreement. The main points of contention are compensation and the unpaid work flight attendants perform when planes are not in operation.
Air Canada previously offered a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, claiming it would make flight attendants the highest paid in Canada. However, the union disagreed, arguing the proposed 8% raise in the first year insufficiently addressed inflation.
