Air Canada grounds hundreds of flights as cabin staff go on strike
PTC News Desk: The flight attendants of the Air Canada walked off the job early on Saturday after contract talks with the country’s largest carrier stalled, disrupting travel plans for over 100,000 passengers.
The union, which represents over 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants confirmed the development in a social media post. The strike is a first by cabin crew since 1985.
The flight attendants, who are currently being paid for the time when the aircraft is on the move, are demanding to be fairly compensated for the time on the ground between the flights and helping passengers board.
Montreal-based Air Canada, which is expected to respond quickly by locking out the workers, has said it anticipated canceling 500 flights by the end of Friday during the busy summer travel season. It expected around 100,000 people to be affected on Friday alone.
The strike by the flight attendancts has left the passengers stranded and their travel plans disrupted in one of the busiest travel season. Air Canada has urged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government to direct both parties into binding arbitration, a move opposed by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents flight attendants.
Under the Canada Labour Code, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu can request the Industrial Relations Board to enforce binding arbitration if it is deemed necessary to safeguard the economy.
Hajdu has repeatedly called on the airline and the union — currently not engaged in talks — to return to the negotiating table.
The union claims Air Canada has proposed partial compensation for certain unpaid duties, but only at 50% of the attendants’ hourly wage.
- With inputs from agencies
