WestJet said its mechanics carried out a previously threatened strike on Friday evening, something the airline said was “outraged.”
The federal government had previously halted the strike by ordering binding arbitration.
“The union's only reason for continuing the strike is to cause damage, disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians over the July long weekend and inflict significant harm on our business,” WestJet president Diederick Penn said in a statement Friday night.
“Now that arbitration has been ordered, this is purely an act of retaliation by a frustrated union, as a strike cannot have any effect on the outcome of the arbitration. We are extremely upset by these actions and intend to hold (the Brotherhood of Aircraft Mechanics) 100% responsible for the unnecessary stress and expense that has resulted.”
A WestJet statement said AMFA “began its strike action” at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday.
AMFA confirmed that.
“The union is continuing to engage in dialogue with the Canada Labour Relations Board (CIRB) and the airlines to resolve this impasse. AME hoped that this step would not be necessary, but the airlines' refusal to negotiate with the union made a strike inevitable,” the union said.
“AME and its unions are eager to get back to work, but the timeline is in the hands of WestJet management.”
WestJet said it is “aggressively pursuing all avenues to minimize disruption, including seeking immediate intervention from the Minister of Labour and the Canada Labour Relations Board.”
“Severe travel disruptions are expected if the strike is not called off immediately,” the airline said.
We will provide more details at a later date.
