(UPDATE: Aug. 19 at 5:11 am): Air Canada has said it will "gradually restart its operations" today after reaching a "mediated agreement" with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to end a strike by the airline's 10,000 flight attendants.
Flights have been grounded since Aug. 16.
CUPE, meanwhile, said this morning that the two sides had "reached a tentative agreement" that will result in "transformational change for our industry."
"Unpaid work is over," the statement adds. "We have reclaimed our voice and our power."
Air Canada said flights are scheduled for this evening, but warned that a full return to operations could take up to 10 days.
"During this process, some flights will be cancelled ... until the schedule is stabilized," the airline explained.
(Original story: Aug. 18 at 9:35 am): The federal labour board has deemed the Air Canada flight attendant strike “unlawful” and has ordered union leaders to direct flight attendants back to work.
The comment comes after unionized Air Canada flight attendants announced on Sunday that they will remain on strike and challenged a back-to-work order.
According to a statement released Monday morning, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered “the union and its officers are ordered to immediately cease all activities that declare or authorize an unlawful strike” and direct about 10,000 flight attendants back to work by noon EDT.
The order also ordered all flight attendants back to work “immediately” and for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Air Canada Component to provide written public notice to all members that the strike is revoked.
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Air Canada said it planned to resume cancelled flights on Sunday evening with a gradual increase this week after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu directed binding arbitration on Saturday.
However, those plans were paused given the union’s push back.
Over on the union’s side, officials called the back-to-work order “unconstitutional.”
“I stated pretty clearly when this strike would end. I said it clearly then and I will say it clearly now. This strike will end when we get a collective agreement that works for our members,” said CUPE’s national president Mark Hancock on Sunday.
The union accused the Liberal government of violating their Charter rights to take job action and giving “Air Canada exactly what they want.”
The airline now estimates that 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled.
In an update provided Monday morning, Air Canada said it will once again pause plans to resume flights.
“Air Canada has suspended its plan to gradually resume operations, after CUPE illegally directed its flight attendant members not to return to work,” said the airline’s update.
“All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights have been cancelled until further notice. Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal.”
More information on how to change flights and refunds can be found here.
The two parties have been negotiating a new labor agreement since the previous one expired at the end of March.
Some of the key points in the negotiations include pay, unpaid work, per diems, pension, work rules and prone rest. A major request is for flight attendants to be compensated for “ground work,” which is when attendants are working before a flight departed and after it lands.
