GATINEAU – Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu says she’s aiming to have a probe into allegations of unpaid work in Canada’s airline sector wrapped up by early December.
Hajdu has said this process could result in new legislation — but she also says Ottawa wants to be “very careful” about what it does next to ensure it upholds the right for union members and employers to bargain over terms of their work.
She says the key the question she has is whether there is a loophole that lets employers avoid their obligations to compensate flight attendants fairly for their work.
Employment and Social Development Canada will host round tables with industry stakeholders this month and next, and has set an October 17 deadline for feedback.
Hajdu announced last month that her department was launching an investigation into allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector, which came on the heels of a disruptive labour dispute that grounded hundreds of flights.
The union representing Air Canada’s flight attendants rejected the company’s last wage offer on Sept. 6, sending the parties into mediation.
