Ottawa blocks strike by Air Canada flight attendants
Posted October 12, 2011 9:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Travellers booked on Air Canada don’t have to worry about a strike by thousands of flight attendants, for now.
The Air Canada website said the threat of a strike by thousands of its flight attendants has been averted, with Ottawa stopping the job action before it even had a chance to start.
The workers could have walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
Labour Minister Lisa Raitt will be sending the dispute between the airline and its almost 6,800 flight attendants to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The move means the government doesn’t have to call an emergency session of Parliament to introduce back-to-work legislation.
Air Canada has thanked customers for their patience and loyalty. In the past month, they’ve had to deal with two strike deadlines by flight attendants.
The latest twist in Air Canada’s troubled contract negotiations comes after members of the union rejected a second tentative agreement supported by leaders of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Raitt also said a reference will be sent Wednesday asking the board to examine the difficulties in winning membership ratification of two tentative agreements this year.
The reference buys the government time to pass back to work legislation until the House of Commons resumes sitting next week.
