Canadian jobs minister intervenes in Air Canada strike, orders flight attendants back to work

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants who went on strike early Saturday will be ordered to return to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), according to an announcement Saturday by Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu.

The announcement comes after Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, suspended all operations following the strike.

At a news conference in Ottawa, Hajdu said she directed the CIRB to order Air Canada and its employees to “resume and continue their operations and duties in order to secure industrial peace and protect the interests of Canada, Canadians and the economy.”

The government intervened through Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code, which allows the minister to direct an arbitrator to intervene in the dispute.

Air Canada had requested on Tuesday that the government intervene using Section 107, the Canadian Union of Public Employees said Friday in a statement.

Air Canada said in an email to CNN that it is “premature to comment as the CIRB process is underway” and it is too early to comment on restarting the airline.

“We still ask customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flight is shown as operating,” the company said, adding that all information can be found on the company website or mobile app and local airport websites.

The CIRB will also be involved in reaching a settlement and will extend the terms of the existing collective agreement, according to Hajdu.

The airline’s flight attendants overwhelmingly agreed to the system-wide work stoppage, with 99.7% in favor of the strike, and walked out around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday. The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is seeking wage increases and paid compensation for work when planes are on the ground.

“Now, when we’re at the bargaining table with an obstinate employer, the Liberals are violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want – hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation,” Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE, said in a statement shared with CNN.

Hajdu denied that the Canadian government is anti-union, adding that it was clear Air Canada and union workers were “at an impasse” and “they need some help in arbitrating the final items.”

Air Canada has said it offered a 38% increase in total compensation over four years and an hourly raise of 12% to 16% in the first year. The company said its offer would make its flight attendants “the best compensated in Canada.”

As of 11:00 a.m. ET, a total of 662 Air Canada flights were canceled, including 342 domestic and 320 international flights, according to a report from aviation analytics firm Cirium. According to FlightAware, 86% of Air Canada flights and 96% of Air Canada Rogue flights have been canceled.

“The impact of the work stoppage at Air Canada that began early this morning is already being felt by travelers. This is causing significant harm and has negative impacts on Canadians and the Canadian economy,” Hajdu said, adding that the flight cancellations left pharmaceuticals without transport and stranded thousands of Canadians.

WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, told CNN that it is positioning large aircraft onto key routes and adding a limited number of extra flights as it monitors the impact of the strike, which Air Canada said could impact about 130,000 customers each day a suspension continues.

When asked when flights would return to normal, Hajdu said the CIRB would review statements from both Air Canada and workers before deciding whether to intervene.

“Don’t want to speculate, because it is a process. But in general, sometimes it can take 24 to 48 hours for the board to complete that work,” Hajdu said, adding that, “Air Canada said it could take between 5 to 10 days for regular services to resume.”

This story has been updated with additional content.

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