More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants will continue striking despite federal back-to-work orders, their union said Sunday, intensifying disruption at Canada’s largest airline.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) told members they remain “on strike and locked out” and stressed there was no obligation to report for duty. The defiance comes after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to enforce a return to work under Section 107 of the Labour Code.
Air Canada said it had cancelled 240 flights on Sunday after CUPE “illegally directed” staff to stay off the job. The airline said flights will resume Monday evening.
Union’s demands
CUPE members walked out early Saturday after voting almost unanimously for strike action. They are demanding higher wages and compensation for time spent on the ground.
Union president Wesley Lesosky accused the government of violating Charter rights by siding with Air Canada. He said the company expected “hours and hours of unpaid labour” while reaping “extraordinary executive compensation.”
Company’s offer
Air Canada said it had proposed a 38% rise in total compensation over four years, including a 12% to 16% hourly wage increase in the first year.
The union rejected the offer, calling instead for fresh talks “at the bargaining table rather than through government intervention.”
Government stance
Minister Hajdu denied being anti-union, saying both sides had reached an impasse and required arbitration.
The Labour Ministry and Air Canada have not responded to further requests for comment.
Air Canada grounded on Monday
Air Canada's fleet of hundreds of planes remained grounded on Monday morning after striking flight attendants refused a government-backed order to get back to work and called on the airline to return to the bargaining table.
The carrier, which normally carries 130,000 people daily and is part of the global Star Alliance of airlines, had planned to start ramping up operations on Sunday evening, after a labour relations board ordered the union to return to work and start binding arbitration.
The union said no, setting up an almost unprecedented standoff with the Canadian government, which had requested the back-to-work order.
A Russian overnight attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without electricit...
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khan...
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles f...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Two people, including a child, were killed and 16 others injured when an intercity bus crashed in eastern France on Friday morning, authorities confirmed.
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early on Saturday, 7 November, injuring two people and damaging residential buildings, just three days before U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
India's delivery of guided Pinaka rockets to Armenia is drawing renewed attention as analysts assess the military and strategic significance of one of New Delhi's most prominent defence export deals.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
A Russian overnight attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without electricity on Sunday, 8 November, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Prosecutors in Paraguay have charged former President Santiago Peña and ex-central bank chief Carlos Carvallo Spalding over the collapse of Ueno Bank, and have asked a court to hold both men in pretrial detention.
Paraguay’s Vice President Pedro Alliana has assumed the presidency after the Senate impeached and ousted Santiago Peña amid a banking crisis that sparked widespread political backlash.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment