Government Orders Air Canada Striking Flight Attendants to Resume Work, Aiming to Restore Services Amid Disruption

Air Canada flight attendants, who initiated a strike early Saturday morning, are set to be ordered back to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), as announced by Canadian Labour Minister Patty Hajdu on Saturday.

The announcement follows Air Canada’s halt of all operations due to the strike, making it the country’s largest airline to face such a disruption.

At a press conference in Ottawa, Hajdu stated that she had directed the CIRB to mandate both Air Canada and its employees to resume their duties to maintain industrial harmony and safeguard Canada’s interests, Canadians, and the economy.

The government has invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code, which empowers the minister to delegate an arbitrator to intervene in labor disputes. Air Canada had requested this intervention on Tuesday, as confirmed by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in a statement on Friday.

Air Canada did not provide an immediate response to CNN’s request for comment.

The CIRB will also be instrumental in negotiating a settlement and extending the terms of the existing collective agreement, according to Hajdu.

Over 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favor of the system-wide work stoppage, with 99.7% supporting the strike, which commenced around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday. The Air Canada division of CUPE is advocating for wage increases and compensation for work performed when planes are grounded.

Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE, expressed dissatisfaction with the Liberal government’s intervention, stating, “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 labor from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.”

Hajdu denied accusations that the Canadian government is anti-union, adding that it was evident that Air Canada and union workers were “at an impasse” and “need some help in arbitrating the final items.”

By 11:00 a.m. ET, a total of 662 Air Canada flights had been canceled, including 342 domestic and 320 international flights, as reported by aviation analytics firm Cirium. According to FlightAware, 86% of Air Canada flights and 96% of Air Canada Rogue flights have been canceled.

Hajdu acknowledged the impact of the work stoppage at Air Canada, stating, “The disruption caused by the work stoppage at Air Canada that began early this morning is already causing significant harm and negatively affecting Canadians and the Canadian economy.” The flight cancellations have left pharmaceuticals without transport and stranded thousands of Canadians.

When asked about the timeline for flights to return to normal, Hajdu stated that the CIRB would evaluate statements from both Air Canada and workers before deciding whether to intervene. “I don’t want to speculate, because it is a process. But in general, sometimes it can take 24 to 48 hours for the board to complete that work,” Hajdu added, also mentioning that Air Canada suggested it could take between 5 to 10 days for normal services to resume.

This is an evolving story and will be updated accordingly.