Air carrier WestJet’s operations could be disrupted during the Canada Day long weekend, as the Alberta company says it has received new strike notice from its mechanics responsible for aircraft maintenance.
In response, the company maintains that it has no choice but to send a notice of lockout to manage the situation.
In a press release sent early Wednesday, WestJet indicated that it had received a 72-hour strike notice the day before from the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), the union that represents some 670 aircraft maintenance engineers. and other specialized employees affected by this negotiation.
Thus, a strike could be called Friday at 7:30 p.m., if no agreement is reached by then. The walkout would therefore occur at the start of the long Canada Day holiday, when next Monday is a public holiday.
According to WestJet, 70,000 people are expected to board its aircraft each day this weekend, making it the busiest weekend of the summer.
The carrier specifies that the strike notice does not mean that there will be an interruption of travel, but it confirms that it will take “arrangements to manage the repercussions as much as possible” in the coming days.
Preparations for a reduced schedule will be made in particular, he mentioned.
The union issued initial strike notice last week, but the labor dispute was averted when both sides agreed to resume negotiations. The carrier still canceled nearly 50 flights in anticipation of a possible strike.
WestJet has since said it has submitted a “revised industry-leading” offer that would see maintenance engineers receive a 22 per cent pay increase over four years.
“It was quickly rejected and a strike notice was issued, leaving us with no choice but to issue a lockout notice to manage the disruption to the travel of hundreds of thousands of guests said WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen in writing.
From the company’s point of view, “the union’s demand far exceeds this figure and remains unreasonable.”
The AMFA had not reacted publicly to this new strike notice and the threat of lockout as of publication Wednesday morning.