Negotiations at Airbus in Mirabel | An agreement or the lockout

It’s make or break at Airbus Mirabel. The 1,300 union members who assemble the A220 will find themselves locked out from Thursday if they reject the conciliator’s recommendations after a final vote. This slightly increases the salary increases in the proposed employment contract.

“I sought as honestly and professionally as possible an acceptable compromise,” writes conciliator Gaston Boutin, in his report, “that The Press was able to consult. It is with this conviction that I strongly suggest that you accept this recommendation in order to avoid a labor dispute. »

The latter emphasizes that its recommendation does not constitute a “judgment in favor of one or the other of the parties”. He adds that he noted that due to “the rigid positions of the parties”, they were heading towards a “labor conflict”. Two conciliation sessions took place last week.

If the lockout scenario were to materialize, the Quebec state would find itself in a delicate situation. He would then be a shareholder (25%) of a program – always in deficit – where the majority shareholder, Airbus, would refuse its union members access to the factory located in the Laurentians.

As of Tuesday evening, the office of the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, had not responded to a request for comment on the possibility of a lockout.

Without recommendation

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) did not comment on Mr. Boutin’s report on Tuesday. In a message sent to its members – toolmakers, welders and other technicians – last Sunday, the union indicated that it advocated “free choice” in the context of the vote, which will take place until the evening of this Wednesday.

“In the absence of a favorably ratified collective agreement before May 2, 2024, the employer will exercise its lockout right on May 2,” we read in the conciliator’s document.

Despite the union’s recommendation to vote in favor of the agreement in principle reached with Airbus, union members rejected it in a proportion of 68%. The agreement provided for salary increases of 22% spread over five years. Airbus’ two previous offers were almost unanimously rejected by employees, at the recommendation of their union.

After seeing Airbus withdraw from the negotiating table following the rejection of the agreement in principle, the IAMAW requested conciliation. Mr. Boutin’s report proposes salary increases totaling 23% over five years.

In a statement on Tuesday, the head of human resources at Airbus Canada, Patrick Bertin, stressed that conciliation constituted a “last chance” to reach an agreement.

“We are banking on a positive result […] following the recommendations of the conciliator and to ensure our common success and avoid a labor conflict that would not be beneficial for anyone,” he says.

A flight expected

Industrial peace is critical for the Quebec factory of the European multinational. To achieve its objective of making the A220 profitable in 2026, the aircraft manufacturer must double the current production rate by this deadline in order to be able to deliver 14 units of the aircraft monthly.

By 2023, 68 aircraft had been handed over to customers. After the first three months of the year, A220 deliveries stood at 12. Airbus therefore still has a lot of work to do.

Any delay in the profitability schedule risks having consequences for Quebec taxpayers, who hold 25% of this program developed by Bombardier after having injected 1.7 billion since 2015. By agreeing to remit 380 million in 2022, Quebec had been able to push back to 2030 the moment when Airbus can buy back its stake in the A220.

The longer profits wait, the more money the Quebec state will leave on the table.