Latest news with #CanadianIndustrialRelationsBoard
Mint
7 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Air Canada cancels plans to resume flights as attendants' union rejects return to work order: ‘We are saying no'
Air Canada has called off its plans to resume flights on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants announced it would defy a return-to-work order. The strike was already impacting roughly 130,000 travellers daily during peak summer travel, according to a report by AP. After government intervention, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board instructed airline staff to return to work by 2 pm Sunday, and Air Canada announced it planned to restart flights on Sunday evening. Canada's largest airline announced it will resume flights on Monday evening. Air Canada stated in a press release that the union'illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.' 'Our members are not going back to work,' Canadian Union of Public Employees national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson International Airport. 'We are saying no.' Hancock tore up a copy of the back-to-work order outside the airport's departures terminal, where union members were picketing on Sunday morning. He also mentioned they won't be returning on Tuesday. Flight attendants said, 'Don't blame me, blame AC', outside Pearson. Jennifer Kozelj, a spokeswoman for Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, wrote in an email that, like many Canadians, the Minister is closely monitoring the situation. She emphasised that the Canada Industrial Relations Board operates as an independent tribunal. Hancock said the 'whole process has been unfair' and said the union will challenge what it called an unconstitutional order. Less than 12 hours after workers went on strike, Hajdu instructed the 10,000 flight attendants to return to work, emphasising that this is not the time to jeopardise the economy and highlighting the unprecedented tariffs the US has placed on Canada. She also referred the strike to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The airline stated that the CIRB has extended the duration of the current collective agreement until the arbitrator finalises a new one. The closure of Canada's biggest airline early Saturday affected approximately 130,000 people daily. Air Canada typically runs around 700 flights each day. Flight attendants left their jobs around 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. At nearly the same time, Air Canada announced it would start locking flight attendants out of airports. The contract dispute intensified on Friday when the union rejected Air Canada's earlier proposal to engage in government-mandated arbitration, where a third-party mediator would determine the terms of the new agreement. In 2024, the government compelled the country's two major railways into arbitration with their labour union during a strike. The union representing the rail workers is suing, claiming the government is undermining the union's bargaining power. Hajdu mentioned that the Liberal government isn't opposed to unions, highlighting that it's evident the two sides have reached an impasse. Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's website or mobile app, according to Air Canada. The airline plans to offer alternative travel options via other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines are already full 'due to the summer travel peak.' Air Canada and CUPE have been negotiating for approximately eight months without reaching a tentative agreement. Both parties acknowledge significant differences, particularly regarding pay and the unpaid work flight attendants perform when planes are not in operation. Its most recent offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, which included benefits and pensions, over four years, that it expects 'would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.' However, the union opposed the move, stating that the proposed 8% hike in the first year was not enough due to inflation. (With inputs from agencies.)
Saudi Gazette
11 hours ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Air Canada suspends restart plans after flight attendants union defies return to work order
MONTREAL — Air Canada said it suspended plans to restart operations on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants said it will defy a return to work order. The strike was already affecting about 130,000 travellers around the world per day during the peak summer travel season. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered airline staff back to work by 2pm Sunday after the government intervened and Air Canada said it planned to resume flights Sunday evening. Canada's largest airline now says it will resume flights Monday evening. Air Canada said in a statement that the union 'illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.' But union members say they will continue to refuse work until their demands are heard, calling the return to work order unconstitutional. 'Our members are not going back to work,' Canadian Union of Public Employees national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson International Airport. 'We are saying no.' Hancock ripped up a copy of the back-to-work order outside the airport's departures terminal where union members were picketing Sunday morning. He said they won't return Tuesday either. Flight attendants chanted 'Don't blame me, blame AC' outside Pearson. 'Like many Canadians, the Minister is monitoring this situation closely. The Canada Industrial Relations Board is an independent tribunal," Jennifer Kozelj, a spokeswoman for Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said in a emailed statement. Less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job, Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the 10,000 flight attendants back to work, saying now is not the time to take risks with the economy and noting the unprecedented tariffs the US has imposed on Canada. Hajdu referred the work stoppage to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The airline said the CIRB has extended the term of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator. The bitter contract fight escalated Friday as the union turned down Air Canada's prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. Hajdu maintained that her Liberal government is not anti-union, saying it is clear the two sides are at an impasse. Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's website or mobile app, according to Air Canada. The airline said it would also offer alternative travel options through other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines are already full 'due to the summer travel peak.' Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal. Both sides have said they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren't in the air. The airline's latest offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, that it said 'would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.' But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8% raise in the first year didn't go far enough because of inflation. — Euronews
Wales Online
11 hours ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Major flight disruption to continue as union refuses to go back to work
Major flight disruption to continue as union refuses to go back to work The shut down is hitting 130,000 passengers and 700 flights every day Disruption will last for days to come Air Canada said it suspended plans to restart operations on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants said it would defy a return-to-work order. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered airline staff back to work by 2pm on Sunday after the government intervened and Air Canada said it planned to resume flights Sunday evening. Canada's largest airline now says it will resume flights Monday evening. Air Canada said in a statement that the union 'illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board'. 'Our members are not going back to work,' Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) national president Mark Hancock said earlier on Sunday outside Toronto's Pearson International Airport. 'We are saying no.' The federal government did not immediately provide comment on the union refusing to return to work. Mr Hancock said the 'whole process has been unfair' and said the union would challenge what it called an unconstitutional order. 'Air Canada has really refused to bargain with us and they refused to bargain with us because they knew this government would come in on their white horse and try and save the day,' he said. The federal government did not immediately provide comment on the union refusing to return to work. Article continues below The country's largest airline had said early on Sunday in a release that the first flights would resume later in the day but that it would take several days before its operations returned to normal. It said some flights would be cancelled over the next seven to 10 days until the schedule was stabilised. Less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job, federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu ordered the 10,000 flight attendants back to work, saying now was not the time to take risks with the economy and noting the unprecedented tariffs the US had imposed on Canada. Ms Hajdu referred the work stoppage to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The airline said the Canada Industrial Relations Board had extended the term of the existing collective agreement until a new one was determined by the arbitrator. The shutdown of Canada's largest airline early on Saturday was impacting about 130,000 people a day. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. According to numbers from aviation analytics provider Cirium, Air Canada cancelled a total of 494 flights on Sunday morning. This was in addition to the hundreds of flights it cancelled in the previous days. The bitter contract fight escalated on Friday as the union turned down Air Canada's prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. Flight attendants walked off the job around 1am Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports. Ms Hajdu said that her Liberal government was not anti-union, saying it was clear the two sides were at an impasse. Passengers whose flights were impacted would be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's website or mobile app, according to Air Canada. The airline said it would also offer alternative travel options through other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines were already full 'due to the summer travel peak'. Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal. Both sides have said they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes are not in the air. The airline's latest offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, that it said 'would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada'. Article continues below But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8% raise in the first year did not go far enough because of inflation.
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- Business
- See - Sada Elbalad
Air Canada Resumes Flights after Directing to End Strike
Taarek Refaat Air Canada announced that it will resume its flights on Sunday, after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board issued a decision in response to a directive from Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hagdo, to end the flight crew strike that caused the suspension of about 700 daily flights. The company explained in a statement that the Board obliged Air Canada to resume its operations, and obliged all members of the hospitality crews at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to return to work before 2:00 p.m. Eastern American Time. 'The directive came after the Canadian government moved on Saturday to end the strike and impose a binding arbitration to break the deadlock in contract negotiations, a move that the country's largest airline was demanding, while the Air Hospitality Crew Union was strongly opposed. Thousands of Air Canada's hospitality staff withdrew from Saturday, for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new employment contract. In parallel, the company on Friday began canceling its flights in anticipation of a stoppage, forcing more than 100,000 passengers to look for alternatives or stay where they are. Air Canada said its flights will resume on Sunday evening, but some flights will remain canceled for the next seven to ten days until the schedule stabilizes and returns to normal. read more CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years Business Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves Business Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue Business Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday Business Wheat delivery season commences on April 15 Videos & Features Story behind Trending Jessica Radcliffe Death Video News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News The Jessica Radcliffe Orca Attack? 100% Fake and AI-Generated
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
Air Canada to resume flights after government shuts down strike
Air Canada will resume flights on Sunday after the northern neighbor's government intervened to end the workers' strike that halted hundreds of flights this weekend. The airline said in a statement that the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and ordered all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to work by 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The CIRB was acting on a Saturday directive from the Canadian Minister of Jobs and Families, Patty Hajdu, who moved to end the strike and require final binding arbitration to break a contract impasse. The order extended the current contract until a new agreement is reached. Approximately 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday, for the first time since 1985, as progress toward a new contract stalled after several months of negotiations. The move stranded more than 100,000 travelers around the world and resulted in the suspension of approximately 700 daily flights. The airline began canceling flights on Friday, in anticipation of the strike. The airline said in a statement that it will resume flights on Sunday evening but that it expects further flight cancellations over the next seven to 10 days 'until the schedule is stabilized.'
