In an ongoing escalation between Ottawa, CUPE and Air Canada, Canada’s Jobs Minster Patty Hajdu said the Liberals will not recall Parliament to bring in back-to-work legislation. Any hope of a speedy resolution to a strike that has crippled Canadian travel was severely diminished with the announcement.
All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights remain grounded until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, the airline said Monday.
Speaking in a video posted on her X account, Hajdu said she has ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to conduct a probe into unpaid work in the airline industry; a key concern of the striking Air Canada flight attendants' union.
Unpaid work, something that has taken place in the airline industry for years and years, is something that's "deeply concerning" to the Liberal government, Hajdu said on the CBC television show "Power and Politics."
Such situations occur because of loopholes in Canadian labour laws, "and we have to close them," the Minister said.
CIRB on Monday said the Air Canada flight attendant strike is illegal, and gave CUPE until noon today (18AUG) to contact their 10,000 flight attendants and tell them to report for work.
This afternoon, CUPE said they refuse to order their workers back, and are prepared to suffer the consequences. And in an email to Open Jaw, the union stated “We will continue to strike”, confirming there is little chance of a quick resolution.
“We’re looking for a solution here. Our members want a solution here. But that solution has to be found at a bargaining table,” said Mark Hancock, CUPE’s National President.
“We will not do that by taking away the rights of a membership already struggling to make ends meet,” he said. “We’re going to stay strong …and if it means folks like me going to jail, so be it. If it means our union being fined, so be it.”
Labour experts say CUPE officials could face jail time or fines for defying the CIRB back-to-work order. Hajdu dodged the question during her CBC interview, saying punishment of the union is a decision for the board and/or federal courts to make
Meanwhile, the Air Line Pilots Association International on Monday expressed support for Air Canada flight attendants and criticized the government intervening and halting strike action.
“Air Canada pilots support our flight attendant colleagues in their ongoing struggle to achieve the fair contract they have earned. This is an important moment for organized labour across Canada."
“At the same time, we must meet our obligations under the Canada Labour Code and our own Collective Agreement. We are advising our pilots to go to work when they are scheduled to fly and encouraging them to join the flight attendants on their picket lines when they are off work,” ALPA said in a news release.
“Forcing the flight attendants into unwanted arbitration undermines free and fair collective bargaining”.
Meanwhile, the slow resumption of flights today planned by Air Canada has been halted. The airline says it hopes to resume flights tomorrow afternoon.
Stay tuned to Open Jaw for more on this important story.
