The CEO of Air Canada claims that the “amazed” striking workers do not take into account the working order | Aviation news

Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) said that the Air Canada strike strike, in which 10,000 cabin crew members have left their jobs, is illegal after the attackers have ignored the return to work orders.

The regulatory board appealed on Monday after declaring previously that workers had to return to the Job from 2 p.m. (18:00 GMT) Sunday.

The Montreal -based carrier’s cabin crew had put pressure on a negotiated solution, saying that binding arbitration would remove pressure from the airline. The workers said that the wage increases proposed are insufficient to follow inflation and match the federal minimum wage.

The attendants also call to be paid for the work done in the field, such as helping passengers to board. They are now only paid when the planes move, triggering vocal support from Canadians on social networks.

A union chief on Strike Against Air Canada said on Monday that he could take prison sentence rather than allowing cabin crews to be forced to work.

“If it means that people like me go to prison, then too bad. If this means that our union is sentenced to a fine, then too bad. We are looking for a solution here, “said Mark Hancock, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUP), at a press conference after a deadline for the board of directors to return to work expired without any action by the Union to end the strike.

The CEO of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, told the news agency Reuters that it was “surprised” that the union did not follow the law, adding: “At this stage, the union’s proposals are much higher than the 40% (hike that we have offered). And we must therefore find a way to fill this gap,” he said, without suggesting what this process would be. “We are always open to listening and having a conversation,” he said.

Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney expressed support for cabin crews, saying that they should be “compensated fairly at any time”.

Pushing a resolution, Carney said: “We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors from our countries are disrupted by this action.”

The airline normally carries 130,000 people per day during the season of advanced summer travel and is part of the Global Star Alliance of Airlines.

Air Canada suspended its procurement forecasts in the third quarter and annual forecasts on Monday because its planes remained anchored.

The union said he would continue his strike and invited Air Canada to the table to “negotiate a fair agreement”.

A Government Back

The government Options to end the strike Now include asking the courts to enforce the return to work and request an accelerated hearing.

The minority government could also try to adopt legislation that would need the support of political rivals and approval in the two chambers of the Parliament of Canada, which are on September 15.

“The government will be very reluctant to be too heavy because in Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that governments must be very cautious when they remove the right to strike, even for public sector workers who could be deemed essential,” said Dionne Pohler, professor of dispute resolution at the industrial school and labor relations at Cornell.

Another option is to encourage negotiation, said Pohler.

The government has not responded to requests for comments.

On Saturday, the Liberal government of Carney decided to end the strike by asking the CIRB to command a binding arbitration. The CIRB, an independent administrative court which interprets and applies the labor laws of Canada, published the ordinance, which Air Canada had searched and the unionized agents opposed.

The previous government, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, intervened last year to leave the Rail and the Docker strikes which threatened to paralyze the economy, but it is very unusual for a union to challenge a CIRB order.

Travelers at Toronto Pearson International Airport over the weekend said they were confused and frustrated about when they could fly.

Italian Francesca Tondini, 50, seated at Toronto airport, said that she was supporting the union even if she did not know when she could go home.

“They are right,” she said with a smile, pointing striking attendants.

The dispute between cabin and Air Canada crews is based on the way that airlines compensate on -board agents. Most, including Air Canada, only pay them when planes are in motion.

In their latest contractual negotiations, on-board agents in Canada and the United States have requested compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as residents.

The new work agreements of American Airlines and Alaska Airlines legally require the carriers to start the stopwatch to pay the on -board agents when the passengers embark.

American on -board agents are now also remunerated for a few hours between flights. United Airlines’ cabin teams, who voted a provisional contract contract last month, also want a similar provision.

In the markets, Air Canada shares are down 1.6% to 12 hours in Toronto (4:00 p.m. GMT). US Carrier United Airlines – another member of the Star Alliance, which does not have a striking cabin crew and which serves several large Canadian cities – is up 1.4%.