Staff at Canada’s flagship service defy back-to-work order as they stage first strike in 40 years.
Air Canada flight attendants have mentioned they are going to stay on strike regardless of a government-backed labour board’s order to return to work by 2pm ET (18:00 GMT), which they described as unconstitutional.
The Canadian Union of Public Workers mentioned in a press release on Sunday that members would stay on strike and invited Air Canada again to the desk to “negotiate a good deal”.
Canada’s largest airline now says it can resume flights on Monday night. The strike was already affecting about 130,000 travellers around the globe per day in the course of the peak summer season journey season.
The Canadian authorities on Saturday moved to finish a strike by greater than 10,000 flight attendants on the nation’s largest service by asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order binding arbitration.
The Canada Labour Code offers the federal government the ability to ask the CIRB to impose binding arbitration within the curiosity of defending the financial system. The CIRB issued the order, which Air Canada had sought, and unionised flight attendants opposed it.
It’s uncommon for a union to defy a CIRB order. It was not instantly clear what choices the federal government has if the union continues its strike.
Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday for the primary time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a brand new contract.
Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and native union president, informed Reuters that different unions joined the flight attendants’ picket line in solidarity in Toronto on Sunday.
“They’re in assist right here immediately as a result of they’re seeing our rights being eroded,” Stea mentioned.
Essentially the most contentious challenge has been the union’s demand for compensation for time spent on the bottom between flights and when serving to passengers board. Attendants are largely paid solely when their aircraft is transferring.
Staff are additionally sad with Air Canada’s proposed wage hikes and different compensation phrases, which they see as inadequate to maintain tempo with inflation or match the federal minimal wage.
