CANADA’S WESTJET CANCELS MORE THAN 800 FLIGHTS AS MECHANICS STRIKE OVER SALARIES

Mon 01 July 2024:

Canada’s WestJet has canceled more than 800 flights due to a strike by mechanics, disrupting travel plans for thousands over the Canada Day long weekend. Around 680 mechanics have been on strike since Friday after negotiations between the Calgary-based airline and the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) failed to reach an agreement on salaries and working conditions.

WestJet President and CEO Diederik Pen apologized to travelers for the “unnecessary work stoppage,” saying, “I am encouraged by our employees’ willingness to rise above the adversity and deliver a safe and controlled operation going forward.” He added, “We continue to hold our view that the current strike serves no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage to our airline and the country.”

Since Thursday, WestJet has canceled 832 flights, with more than half of them scheduled for Sunday. The airline reported that its 180-plane fleet had been reduced to 32 active aircraft as of Sunday.

Both WestJet and the AMFA have accused each other of not negotiating in good faith. The AMFA stated that the wage increase they seek would cost WestJet less than 8 million Canadian dollars ($5.8m) beyond what the company has offered for the first year of their contract. WestJet, on the other hand, said it offered a 12.5 percent wage increase in the first year of the contract and a compounded wage increase of 23.5 percent over the remainder of the five-and-a-half-year term.

Despite a directive from Canadian Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan on Thursday for binding arbitration to resolve the dispute, the strike went ahead, affecting approximately 110,000 travelers. In June, union members voted 97.25 percent to reject a tentative pay deal reached with WestJet.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22