Air Transat and its flight attendants are back at the negotiating table following a union rejection of the company’s latest offer.
“Following the unfavourable vote by Air Transat flight attendants on the tentative agreement for the renewal of their collective agreement, management has agreed to resume discussions with the union executive,” Transat officials said. “There are currently no strike or lock-out notices issued by either party, and both are keen to reach a new agreement quickly.”
Insiders are convinced Transat will find a way to resolve the impasse. They would not want to impact the momentum the airline is currently experiencing with the Porter agreement, profitability and positive customer reviews.
Transat officials said the tentative agreement that was presented to members had been approved by the union executive, without restriction, on 14DEC 2023.
"We had reached a tentative agreement negotiated in good faith, which met the interests of both parties," said Julie Lamontagne, Chief People, Sustainability and Communications Officer of Transat. "We are disappointed” by the offer being rejected, “as we were confident that the tentative agreement would be accepted by the majority of our flight attendants.
“We are returning to the bargaining table, and our objective remains to find common ground as soon as possible,” Lamontagne said.
The Toronto Star reports the airline’s 2,100 flight attendants voted 98.1 to reject the deal, blaming what CUPE calls insufficient salary increases.
“Air Transat flight attendants told us clearly that this agreement would not have succeeded in reducing the suffering and financial insecurity that they experience on a daily basis,” Dominic Levasseur, president of the Air Transat component of CUPE, said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday.
“We are returning to the negotiating table without delay to reach an agreement that will meet their needs,” he said.
At this time, all Air Transat flights are maintained, and the usual terms and conditions apply.
