Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order, to continue ‘unlawful’ strike

Air Canada crew have announced that they will continue their protest despite a back-to-work order from Canada’s labour tribunal that rejected their demonstrations as “unlawful”, extending a work stoppage that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide.

Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job last weekend, insisting the airline had failed to address their demands for higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding.

“If Air Canada thinks planes will be flying this afternoon, they’re sorely mistaken,” the head of the union representing flight attendants said.

While Air Canada has not responded to the union’s action yet, the trade organisation that represents the airline condemned the defiance of the back-to-work order, saying they “are normalising the idea that if you don’t like a decision, you can simply ignore it”.

Daniel Safayeni, president and CEO of Federally Regulated Employers – Transportation and Communications (Fetco), said, “That is not labour relations, it’s a reckless path that erodes trust in the labour relations system, weakens our global reputation, and undermines economic stability at a moment of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.”

Meanwhile, Canadian Union of Public Employees president Mark Hancock has said that the union is willing to bear the cost of any penalties they might be hit with for non-compliance with the back-to-work order, including monetary fines and jail time.

“If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it,” Hancock said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday it was “disappointing” that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union did not produce an agreement.

“We recognise very much the critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe as they travel,” he said.

“It is important that they’re compensated equitably.”

But, he added, Canada faced a situation where hundreds of thousands of citizens and visitors were facing travel uncertainty.

Last week, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would, on average, make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027.

With inputs from agencies