Negotiations between Air Canada and its pilots are approaching a midnight deadline, with either side potentially triggering a work stoppage at the country’s largest airline.
After more than 14 months of negotiations, the union and the employer will be able to announce as of this Sunday a 72-hour notice preceding a strike or lockout, which could disrupt the travel of the more than 100,000 passengers who fly daily with Air Canada.
In the previous days, the two sides have indicated that they remain far apart on the central issue of remuneration.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents more than 5,200 pilots, said corporate greed is holding back talks at a time when Air Canada continues to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market pay.
The airline instead claims the union is being inflexible with “unreasonable wage demands,” prompting it to call on the federal government to be prepared to intervene.
While passing through Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, in Montreal’s West Island, on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he did not want to interfere in the labour dispute between Air Canada and its pilots, unless federal intervention was absolutely necessary in the face of an impasse.
He stressed that the government was not going to intervene quickly, as it did in the conflict involving employees of Canada’s two main railway companies.
ALPA Canada President Tim Perry called on the federal government to respect workers’ collective bargaining rights and refrain from intervening in the negotiation process in a statement Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed that it was up to both sides to find an agreement. He said the government respects the right to strike and would only intervene if it was clear that no negotiated agreement was possible.
PHOTO ETHAN CAIRNS, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Many business groups have called on the Trudeau government to intervene to protect freight transportation and travelers.
Air Canada has already said it will have to begin phasing out operations as soon as the 72-hour notice period is given, affecting its 252 aircraft and crews that fly to 47 countries.
The company said that if operations are completely stopped, it will take up to 10 days to resume normal operations.
Air Canada is offering travellers scheduled to fly between this Sunday and September 23 to change their flight for free, potentially extending that period. It said it will inform all travellers of the potential impacts before they fly.