Strike at Air Canada: the Minister of Employment orders a return to work

The Minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, imposes an enforceable arbitration to end the strike of agents of Air Canada and the lockout imposed by the employer.

I exercised the powers that are given to me under article 107 of the Canadian Labor Code to order CCRI [Conseil canadien des relations industrielles] to demand parties they take up and continue their activities and functionsshe said at a press conference on Saturday noon.

The CCRI will receive and examine the declarations of the parties, then must decide if he wishes to intervene. In general, It is necessary to plan between 24 and 48 hours for the CCRI completes his worksaid the minister. Air Canada said that the usual services could take between 5 and 10 daysshe continued.

There is still no flight scheduled for Saturday, the union told us by email.

In his response transmitted to Radio-Canada, Air Canada did not want to decide on the moment of recovery of his activities, stressing thatAt this point, it is too early to make comments, because the process of CCRI is underway.

We ask our customers not to go to the airport unless you have a confirmed reservation and that their flight is indicated as having to operatesaid the carrier.

Strong criticism

It is the third labor conflict in which the federal government imposes such arbitration, after those in the rail and port sectors.

Questioned by journalists regarding the legitimacy of having invoked article 107, the minister defended himself, claiming that it was a necessary measure to ensure the movements of the passengers and essential cargoes, such as drugs or organs.

I categorically reject the idea that our government is anti -syndicatesaid Ms. Hajdu. However, the parties are in an impasse et It is obvious that they need help to arbitrate the last pointsshe said.

The union was quick to react by press release. Air Canada asked the government to remove the rights guaranteed by the charter to underpaid on-board agents, and Minister Patty Hajdu only waited a few hours to take actionhe said.

The liberal government rewards Air Canada’s refusal to negotiate fairly by giving it exactly what she wantedhe laments.

In a press release, the Canada Conservative Party said that Mark Carney proves once again that he is not the friend of workers or workers, and that he prefers to reward his friends at the head of large companies rather than paying on -board agents who work standing and tirelessly all day.

Marc Ranger, former Quebec director of the SCFPdescribes the decision of the federal government of very surprisingsince the Minister asked both the two parties to continue to negotiate on Friday.

10,000 strike on -board agents

The 10,000 Air Canada Air Canada agents represented by the union have been on strike since 0:58 am (HE) on Saturday.

The company has announced that it put its unionized on-board agents around 1:30 am (HE). All Air Canada and Red Air Canada flights have been suspended. Air Canada Express flights are not affected because they are operated by third -party companies.

Strikes are drawn up at airports across the country, notably in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, according to the Air Canada component SCFP.

Picking lines have also been set up at Ottawa, Halifax and Winnipeg airports.

Air Canada estimates that around 130,000 customers are affected each day of disengagement, including 25,000 Canadians abroad. In a message published Friday evening on social networks, the carrier announced that already 623 flights had been canceled in the last days, for a total of 100,100 passenger affected.

Air Canada indicates that it will contact customers whose flight is imminent in order to inform them of canceled flights and options available to them.

We can no longer work for free

The SCFP had filed a strike notice of 72 hours on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, arguing that I am Canada [refusait] to recognize that on -board agents should be paid for all their working time. The company reacted by depositing a notice of lockout and starting the gradual cancellation of flights on Thursday.

Friday, the union once again refused the request for an enforceable arbitration filed by the employers’ part, claiming thatInstead of continuing negotiations in good faith, as the law obliges it, Air Canada has chosen to withdraw from talks and seems to count on government intervention.

We don’t want to be here, we were forced to be heresaid Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of SCFPat the opening of a press conference organized by the union at Pearson de Toronto airport on Saturday morning.

We are here because Air Canada pays for the on -the -board officers so little that we had to open food banks in our union offices. Because our on -board agents live at six, eight or ten in a two -bedroom apartment in Toronto, or in VR in the parking lot of Vancouver Airport.

Air Canada on -board agents carry out about 35 hours of unpaid work each month in connection with security -related tasks, especially with regard to boarding and landing of passengers and the management of emergency situations on board.

We can no longer work for freehammered Mr. Lesosky.

The president of the 4091 local section of Montreal Air Canada, Natasha Stea, recalled that the company’s pilots received a cumulative salary increase of almost 42 % over four years no later than last fall.

Why is an equitable salary acceptable for a group of workers, but not for the other? she asked. Is it because this group of workers is made up of men and the other is made up of 70 % women and 10 % of people LGBTQ+?

We see people revolting against Air Canada, people who say it is unacceptable. It makes a huge difference for them and it will make a huge difference for us at the negotiation tableadded Mr. Lesosky.

With the information of Louis-Philippe Trozzo and the Canadian Press