Allison Lampert
Canada to reconsider labor board decision following surprise WestJet strike {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
– Canadian government officials said Saturday they were reviewing the country's labour board's decision after a surprise strike by WestJet maintenance workers forced the cancellation of 150 flights and affected about 20,000 passengers.
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In a statement posted to X, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said the Canada Industrial Labour Board's decision was “clearly inconsistent with my directive.”
“I will be taking additional steps to protect the interests of employers, unions and all Canadians travelling this national holiday weekend,” O'Regan said.
To avoid a strike by about 680 members of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association who work at Canada's second-largest airline, O'Regan has asked the board to resolve the dispute through binding arbitration.
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The commission on Friday ordered the contract to be finalised through arbitration but added in its order that “the minister's recommendation shall not have the effect of suspending the right to strike or lockout”.
North American unions are taking advantage of a tight labor market to win huge contracts at the negotiating table, with mainline pilots, autoworkers and others securing big pay increases in 2023.
The union served a strike notice on WestJet after 97% of its members voted to reject an interim pay deal agreed to in May.
WestJet says it is actively taking steps to minimize flight disruptions, including calling on the Canadian government for immediate action.
“We know how difficult this is for our customers and employees, but we must begin safely parking our aircraft immediately,” Diederick Peng, WestJet's president and group chief operating officer, said in a statement Friday.
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The union said it was told by WestJet that there would be no further collective bargaining in Toronto because of government-imposed arbitration.
This article has been generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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