WestJet maintenance engineers are finally going on strike the day after Ottawa decided to order binding arbitration to resolve the dispute between the airline and its employees.
Published yesterday at 9:52 p.m.
“The only reason this union is moving forward with this strike is to create havoc, disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians over the July long weekend and inflict significant costs on our business,” WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen said in a statement.
At 7:30 p.m., the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) declared in a press release that its members will begin the strike this Friday evening and that their return to work will depend “largely on the management of WestJet”.
The Calgary-based carrier had already begun taking action, canceling about 25 flights Thursday and Friday in anticipation of a work stoppage, but this state of strike risks canceling even more flights.
The union says it remains “engaged in dialogue with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) and the airline to resolve this impasse.”
He justified his decision to continue the strike by the “refusal of the airline to negotiate with the union.”
The day before, Minister O’Regan was determined to resolve the conflict between the two parties who have not been able to agree on a new collective agreement.
The AMFA-WestJet negotiating committee then reacted immediately to the minister’s decision. It then explained on its website that it “will comply with the minister’s order and will order its members to refrain from any illegal means of pressure”.
For the airline, AMFA’s decision will have costs, particularly during this long weekend.
“Because arbitration has been ordered, a strike has no leverage on the outcome of the arbitration; so this is pure retaliation against a disappointed union, says the airline. We are extremely outraged by these actions and will hold AMFA 100% responsible for the unnecessary stress and costs that result. »
AMFA issued a 72-hour strike notice last Tuesday amid negotiations on a first collective agreement between WestJet and some 680 maintenance engineers.
WestJet encourages passengers planning to travel in the near future to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
