Government appears poised to prevent Air Canada strike

Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said Wednesday she was taking the threat of a strike at Air Canada over the March Break period "very seriously" after the airline's largest union served notice it was prepared to walk off the job as early as Monday if a new labour agreement is not reached.

The federal government was once again being urged not to intervene in Air Canada's labour negotiations by critics who contend it does little to mend the airline's frayed relations with employees.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 8,600 ground crew and mechanics at the airline, rejected a new labour agreement with the airline two weeks ago, but returned to the bargaining table this week. The talks broke off late Tuesday after the airline balked at a list of demands from the union, an IAMAW official said.

As a result, the union served notice it was prepared to walk off the job as early as 12: 01 a.m. Monday if a new deal could not be reached by then.

Dave Ritchie, IAMAW vice president, said in his 40 years of collective bargaining he has never seen the level of anger he has seen at Air Canada. During a press conference Wednesday he expressed his frustrations that the airline was not offering the union's members a better deal.

"They are absolutely disgusted that this corporation will not recognize that they've given to the point that they are not prepared to give anymore," he said.

Whether the union's members will be allowed to strike remains to be seen. Last June, Raitt tabled a back-to-work bill in the House to put an end to a three-day strike by the airline's customer sales and service agents before the parties agreed to put their outstanding issues before final offer arbitration.

Last October she referred a dispute with its flight attendants to the Canada Industrial Relations Board to head off another strike. That dispute was put before final offer arbitration as well, where a previously rejected tentative agreement was forced upon the flight attendants.

A back-to-work bill for Air Canada workers remains on the government's order paper and could be introduced Thursday or Friday, a spokeswoman for the Speaker's Office said. "A work stoppage is not in the best interests of Canadian public or Canadian businesses," Raitt said urging both sides to return to the bargaining table.

Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Scott Deveau