Air Canada planes are expected to take off in the evening on Tuesday, following an agreement in principle between the largest air carrier in the country and the union which represents 10,000 of its on -board agents. The turbulence is not however finished for travelers: the return to normal may take up to ten days.
What to know
- An agreement in principle was concluded on Tuesday morning between Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 of its on -board agents;
- The flights will resume on Tuesday, but the return to normal could take 10 days;
- Air Canada online agents sparked a strike on Saturday morning and the airline replied with a lockout;
- The Minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, had immediately ordered the two parties on Saturday to resume their activities, but on Sunday, the union had indicated that he was going to challenge the order of Ottawa;
- On Monday, the Canadian Industrial Relations Council declared the “illegal” strike.
“During this process, some flights will be canceled […] Until the schedule is stabilized, ”said the company, in a statement where it confirms an agreement with its employees.
This understanding of principle occurs after three days of disengagement and negotiations which took place overnight Monday to Tuesday. According to the Air Canada component of the Canadian Public Service Syndicate (SCFP), the agreement came shortly after 4 am on Tuesday morning.
“The strike is over,” said the union. We have an agreement in principle that we will present to you. We must inform our members that we are required to cooperate fully when taking over the activities. »»
Due to the impasse with its on -board agents, whose collective agreement expired on March 31, Air Canada had canceled nearly 2,320 international and domestic flights, according to the Cirium data firm.
Despite an agreement in principle, which must be endorsed by the members of the SCFP, other cancellations are to be expected, warns the carrier to the red maple leaf.
“The resumption of service of a large carrier like Air Canada is a complex task,” says its president and chief executive officer, Michael Rousseau, in a statement. The full recovery of our activities could take a week or more. »»
Photo Sarah Mongeau-Birkett, the press archives
Demonstrators on site around Montreal-Trudeau airport on Monday.
Details of the agreement between the employer and the union party were not disclosed. The airline claims that “during any ratification or according to the process of enforceable arbitration, a strike or a lockout is not possible, which means that customers can plan, reserve and travel with Air Canada with confidence”.
Ottawa intervened from the start of the labor conflict by evoking the repercussions for travelers.
Federal Minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, had invoked article 107 of the Canadian Labor Code to ask the Canadian Council for Industrial Relations to impose enforceable arbitration – a process where working conditions are imposed by a third party, as an arbitrator. This approach is challenged before the courts.
Despite an order from the Federal Administrative Court which described the “illegal” strike and which urged the on -board agents to resume work, the SCFP had decided to continue the raising.
