Coup de Theater: Despite the CCRI’s decision and the announcement of the flight resumption, the on -board agents refuse to return to work today.
Air Canada’s on -board agents intend to continue their strike despite order to return to work, said the union on Sunday, only a few hours after the airline had announced a flight recovery plan.
The Canadian Public Service Syndicate (SCFP) said that it will dispute an order from the Canadian Industrial Relations Council (CCRI) enjoining them to return to work by 2 p.m. (HE).
“Our members do not return to work,” said National President of the SCFP, Mark Hancock, in front of Toronto airport. “We say no. »»
The federal government announced on Saturday that he ordered the company and its on-board agents to take over work, ending a strike and a lockout which had lasted less than 12 hours.
Hancock said that the union had received a notice from the CCRI late Saturday, informing them of the return to imminent work. According to him, “the whole process was unfair”.
“Air Canada really refused to negotiate with us, and she refused to do it because she knew that this government was going to come on her white horse to try to save the situation,” he denounced.
Air Canada planned to resume its flights Sunday after the federal government ordered enforceable arbitration.
Air Canada added on Sunday that the CCRI had ordered the extension of the conditions of the collective agreement between the union and the company, expired on March 31, until the conclusion of a new agreement.
Neither Air Canada nor the representatives of the federal government immediately reacted to the announcement of the union.
The SCFP, which represents more than 10,000 on -board agents, accused the Federal Minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, of giving in to the requirements of Air Canada.
The union claims to invite Air Canada to return to the negotiating table to conclude a fair agreement.
The SCFP also launched a “day of action” on Sunday, with demonstrations planned in front of Toronto airports, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
Natasha Stea, president of the local 4091 local section of on -board agents, said workers support the refusal to obey the order of return to work.
“I want to be very clear: it is Air Canada who chooses to subjive this to our passengers and our business, because we are the face of the company. She tries to make us blame by allying herself with her friends to the government to bypass all our rights, “she denounced during a demonstration in front of Toronto airport.
She added that employees “have finished being exploited and mistreated”.
“When a company is worth several billion refuses to pay a decent salary to its employees, I simply do not understand. »»
The SCFP had initially announced that its members went to the picking lines after the failure of the last-minute negotiations with the company, while Air Canada was carrying out a lockout of its agents about 30 minutes later in reaction to the strike.
The union says that its main points of dispute relate to wages, which did not follow inflation during the previous 10 -year agreement, as well as on unpaid work when the planes are not in flight.
Air Canada had previously asked Minister Hajdu to order the parties to submit their dispute to an enforceable arbitration process – a power granted to the Minister by article 107 of the Canadian Labor Code.