Airline to discuss layoffs, arbitrator may be appointed to settle disputes
On Friday Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn turned down Air Canada’s request to bypass group termination rules. Flight attendant bases in Halifax and Winnipeg are being closed as part of Air Canada’s plan to cut 2,000 jobs because of high fuel prices.
“We’re excited about (the ruling), but we have lots of other battles to fight now that’s behind us,” said Lisa Vivian Anthony, president of CUPE Local 4090.
The 187 flight attendants who will lose their jobs in November when the airline shuts down its Halifax base are planning a rally at the Grand Parade today at 2 p.m.
Because of the ruling, Air Canada will have to appoint a joint planning committee to discuss the layoffs, and an arbitrator can be appointed by the labour department to settle any disputes.
It also means the union will get to peek at Air Canada’s base liability study of the airline, Anthony said.
“We want to know what information was used to draw the conclusion that they needed to close Halifax and Winnipeg.”
The union will argue the importance of the Halifax base, but reversing all the layoffs is a long shot, she said.
An Air Canada spokeswoman told Metro two weeks ago they had a clause to create a committee under the collective agreement, and they applied for an exemption to avoid duplication and speed up the process.
