Air Canada flight attendants are being forced back to work.
Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu issued a statement during a news conference Saturday afternoon.
“I exercised my authorities under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to arbitrate this dispute. I am exercising this authority because it is critical to maintaining and securing industrial peace, protecting Canadians and promoting conditions to resolve the dispute. Despite the parties’ resolution of several key differences, the CIRB is best positioned to help them find a solution on the outstanding items,” Hajdu said.
CUPE, which represents around 10,000 flight attendants, has been in negotiations with the airline for eight months, with no success in reaching a deal.
Hajdu added it appears the two sides at at an impasse and remain unable to reach an agreement.
Flight attendants walked off the job at 12:58 am ET Saturday morning and in turn, the airline locked them out.
“The enormous impact of a nationwide labour disruption of this scale is already being felt by Canadians and visitors to our country. This impact will grow significantly with a prolonged dispute. This nationwide labour disruption is impeding the movement of passengers and critical cargo,” Hajdu said.
Hajdu stressed the government must act to preserve stability and supply chains in this unique and uncertain economic context.
She has also asked the Board to assist the two sides to reach a settlement by imposing final and binding arbitration and to extend the terms of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator.
“Flight attendants play a critical role in getting Canadians where they need to go safely, and they deserve to be compensated and treated fairly at all times. My job as Minister of Labour is not to take sides during labour disputes, it is to give the parties the tools they need to reach a fair and timely agreement while keeping the best interests of Canadians at heart, and that is why I intervened today.”
