Air Canada asked the government to crush underpaid flight attendants’ Charter rights, and Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu only waited a few hours to deliver. The Liberal government has invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end a strike by Air Canada flight attendants fighting to end unpaid work and poverty wages.
“The Liberals have talked out of both sides of their mouths. They said the best place for this is at the bargaining table. They refused to correct this historic injustice through legislation,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.
“Now, when we’re at the bargaining table with an obstinate employer, the Liberals are violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want — hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.”
CUPE came to the table with data-driven and reasonable proposals for a fair cost-of-living wage increase and an end to forced unpaid labour. Air Canada responded by sandbagging the negotiations. The Liberal government is rewarding Air Canada’s refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted.
This sets a terrible precedent. Contrary to the Minister’s remarks, this will not ensure labour peace at Air Canada. This will only ensure that the unresolved issues will continue to worsen by kicking them down the road. Nor will it ensure labour peace in this industry — because unpaid work is an unfair practice that pervades nearly the entire airline sector, and will continue to arise in negotiations between flight attendants and other carriers.