WestJet’s mechanics launched an unexpected walkout late Friday, threatening to ground aircraft and impede travel at the beginning of a long weekend marked by national holidays. WestJet is the second-largest airline in Canada.
Diederik Pen, the president of the airline, stated in a statement that thousands of passengers may experience “severe disruptions” as a result of the walkout.
It occurs the day after labour unrest at the airline was reportedly prevented by a government directive for binding arbitration to resolve a contract disagreement.
At 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time (2330 GMT), the airline mechanics’ union declared that “the airline’s unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable,” which sparked the commencement of the walkout against the corporation.
The mechanics rejected a tentative agreement with the Calgary-based airline, leading to the issuance of a strike notice earlier this month.
Pen declared, “We are incredibly outraged at these actions,” adding that the strike would result in “unnecessary stress and costs” and would not affect the outcome of the arbitration.
He claimed that the corporation has requested intervention from Canada’s labour relations board and federal labour minister, Seamus O’Regan, in order to put a stop to the walkout.
WestJet serves more than 100 destinations in almost 30 countries with 198 commercial aircraft. Amidst the start of the Canada Day holiday weekend, thousands of travellers may experience flight disruptions due to the unexpected action by WestJet aeroplane mechanics who took to the picket lines on Friday evening.
According to WestJet, if the sudden Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) strike is not called off, Canadians should prepare for “severe travel disruption.”
The airline expressed relief that a ministerial directive for binding arbitration on Thursday prevented a work stoppage, and that relief was followed by the unanticipated job action.
The second-biggest airline in the nation has once more requested that the Canada Industrial Relations Board and the federal labour minister step in right away.
Diederik Pen, president of WestJet Airlines, stated in a release that “we are extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”
In a statement, the union said that over 680 WestJet employees had left their jobs at 7:30 p.m. ET, citing the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”
WestJet asserted that a strike would be “pure retaliation” and would offer the union no leverage because arbitration is being conducted by the nation’s labour tribunal to end the dispute.
The union sent out two strike letters earlier this month after the mechanics rejected a tentative agreement with the Calgary-based airline. This decision prompted WestJet to request government intervention.
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan ordered the airline and the union into binding arbitration on Thursday as the clock was running out to meet a deadline of Friday. This move appeared to prevent a work stoppage that might have disrupted travel plans for up to 250,000 passengers over the long weekend.
