According to the Canadian Public Service Syndicate (SCFP-Québec), hundreds of people gathered on Sunday morning in front of the Air Canada headquarters in Montreal in support of the company’s on-board agents. The event was organized by the union Air Canada component.
The rally occurs while the labor conflict continues between the management of Air Canada and its on -board agents, subject to compulsory arbitration imposed by Ottawa last week.
An Abacus survey realized recently indicates that 12 % of respondents say they support Air Canada management in this dispute, while a majority claim to support employees. Almost nine out of ten Canadians say they are favorable to remuneration covering all the tasks carried out by cabin staff, including boarding, landing, delays and security checks.
“The figures speak for themselves: the population is largely on the side of the on-board agents, not the management of Air Canada,” said Patrick Gloutney, president of the SCFP-Québec. According to him, “by imposing forced arbitration, Ottawa removes on -board agents their democratic right to freely negotiate their working conditions with their employer”.
Julie Potvin, vice-president of the Air Canada on-board agents’ union in Montreal, said that “we work for hours every day without being paid: boarding, landing, delays, security checks”. She added: “We are professionals on whom the public has in the event of an emergency. No one would ask a firefighter or a paramedic to work for free; Why would it be acceptable to us? »»
The SCFP-Québec said it will dispute the federal decision on arbitration in court.
Air Canada did not immediately comment on the demonstration. In its financial results, the company indicated that it had recorded profits of several billion dollars in the past two years. Its Chairman and CEO, Michael Rousseau, affected a total remuneration of $ 12.4 million in 2023.
The SCFP-Québec represents around 143,000 members in the province, including 2,600 in the air transport sector.
Subjects of this article to explore
Airlines and airports
