(Calgary) The possibility of a work stoppage that loomed over the air carrier WestJet seems to have been ruled out, while the management party and the union which represents its chief technicians responsible for aircraft maintenance have reached an agreement in principle.
In a press release released late Sunday evening, the Alberta carrier confirmed that it had reached agreement on the terms of an agreement in principle with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.
If the proposal is ratified by both parties, it will be the first collective agreement to be approved between WestJet and this union.
WestJet issued a 72-hour lockout notice on Saturday, which could have come into effect as early as Tuesday. The company had argued that this decision was made because the union had promised to hold a strike vote.
The union, which represents about 670 aviation maintenance engineers and other skilled trade groups, had cited wages, outsourcing, scheduling and layoff protection as key issues during negotiations.
The terms of the tentative agreement had not been made public Monday morning, but in a press release, WestJet maintained that its chief technicians will become “the highest paid in Canada.”
“In addition, the agreement provides for the application of cutting-edge standards in terms of work-life balance and firm commitments to job security,” said the president of WestJet, Diederik Pen, in writing.