Labour Board Rules Air Canada Attendants’ Strike Unlawful

Canada’s labour relations board has declared illegal the strike by Air Canada’s AC-T +0.56%increase
10,000 flight attendants.

 

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board said in a decision issued on Monday morning the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ defiance of a back-to-work order on Sunday is “unlawful.”

 

The decision orders the union leaders to send their members back to work by noon on Monday, and also directs the members themselves to return to their duties.

 

“The members of the union’s bargaining unit are directed to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities,” reads the directive, signed by Jennifer Webster vice-chairperson of the CIRB.

 

The order was issued in response to an application by Air Canada.

 

The airline on Monday morning suspended its financial guidance for the third quarter and full year, citing the strike and suspension of all flights.

 

The flight attendants walked off the job early on Saturday morning, halting about 700 flights a day and grounding Canada’s largest airline.

 

Labour Minister Patty Hajdu on Saturday used Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order an end to the stoppage and directed the CIRB to arbitrate a resolution to the impasse at the bargaining table.

 

The union defied the order and the airline cancelled plans to resume some flights on Sunday.

 

Air Canada has said it will resume operations on Monday evening, but it is not clear how that will happen.

 

Air Canada and the union negotiators are unable to agree on wages.

 

The airline has offered a pay increase of 17.2 per cent over four years. The union says this does not account for inflation over the past decade, and says its members must be fairly compensated for work they do before a plane takes off.

 

 

 

 

 

This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail