WestJet maintenance engineers went on strike the day after Ottawa ordered binding arbitration to resolve the dispute between the airline and its employees.
“The only reason this union is moving forward with the strike is to create havoc, disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians over the July long weekend and inflict significant costs on our company “, WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen said in a statement.
At 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) declared in a press release that its members will begin the strike this Friday evening and that their return to work will depend “largely on the management of WestJet.”
The Calgary-based carrier had already begun taking action, canceling about 25 flights Thursday and Friday in anticipation of a work stoppage, but this state of strike risks canceling even more flights.
The union says it remains “committed to dialogue with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) and the airline to resolve this impasse.”
He justifies his decision to maintain the strike by the “airline’s refusal to negotiate with the union”.
The day before, Minister O’Regan was determined to resolve the conflict between the two parties who cannot agree on a new collective agreement.
The AMFA-WestJet negotiating committee then reacted immediately to the minister’s decision. It explained on its website that it “will comply with the minister’s order and will order its members to refrain from any illegal pressure tactics.”
For the airline, AMFA’s decision will have costs, particularly during this long weekend.
“Given that arbitration has been ordered, a strike has no leverage over the outcome of the arbitration and is therefore pure retaliation against a disappointed union,” the airline said. “We are extremely outraged by these actions and will hold AMFA 100% accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs that result.”
AMFA issued a 72-hour strike notice last Tuesday amid negotiations on a first collective agreement between WestJet and some 680 maintenance engineers.
WestJet is urging passengers who are scheduled to travel soon to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.