As scores of WestJet flights over the long weekend have been cancelled amid an aircraft mechanics strike, federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says he will respect the country’s industrial relations board in allowing the job action — despite, hours earlier on Saturday, calling the decision “clearly inconsistent” with his directive to refer the bargaining dispute to arbitration.
“The Board is independent of the government and I respect its authority. I will be meeting the parties later today to discuss this matter,” O’Regan wrote in an early afternoon statement as a strike of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) workers with Canada’s second largest airline entered its first full day.
Earlier in the morning, O’Regan released a statement saying he was reviewing the decision, adding it was “clearly inconsistent” with the direction he gave on Thursday.
“I will be looking at additional steps to protect the interests of the employer, the union and all Canadians travelling over this national holiday weekend,” he wrote.
WestJet, in response to the strike, had cancelled at least 150 flights on Saturday, with an estimated 20,000 travellers impacted. The company also warned of further cancellations should the strike continue through the weekend.
The strike action, which had loomed heavy as long weekend air travel inched closer, was believed to have been averted earlier this week when O’Regan invoked his authority under the Canada Labour Code to send WestJet and its mechanics union into binding arbitration to resolve their bargaining impasse.
Ian Evershed, an airline representative for AMFA and its WestJet mechanics, said the news of O’Regan’s order left union leadership feeling somewhat “deflated,” expecting the subsequent order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board would prohibit any strike action as a new deal was hammered out. That outcome wasn’t the only one on the table, but as previously reported by the Star, it was considered likely given precedent in past board cases.
But in a surprise move on Friday, the board permitted the union to move ahead with a strike. “The Board finds that the ministerial referral does not have the effect of suspending the right to strike or lockout,” the industrial relations board wrote, according to an order document published by the union.
“We’re not sure if we’re in uncharted territory here,” Evershed said.
As the strike entered its first full day Saturday, he said their hope was to continue negotiations in advance of arbitration. Key sticking points, in his view, largely pertained to mechanics’ wages and overtime calculations.
The airline, meanwhile, expressed its outrage at the work stoppage.
“The government has officially stepped in to provide binding arbitration and ensure we get to a resolution; the only reason for this union to continue with a strike action is to create damage, disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians over the July long weekend and to inflict significant costs on our business,” airline president Diederik Pen said in a press release on Friday.
“Given arbitration has been ordered, a strike has no leverage on the arbitration’s outcome, so it is pure retaliation of a disappointed union. We are extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”
The company statement requested an “immediate intervention” from both O’Regan and the industrial relations board, warning of “severe travel disruption” if the mechanics strike was able to continue.
Some 670 mechanics with WestJet are represented by the AMFA union. The strike formally began at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, with an AMFA statement noting they’d hoped it would be “unnecessary,” but pointing to a bargaining standstill. “While the AME’s and their union are eager to get back to work, the timeline for that is very much in the hands of WestJet Management.”
With files from Ghada Alsharif and Asma Sahebzada
