Air carrier WestJet has started canceling some flights to prepare for a strike by its mechanics responsible for aircraft maintenance which could begin as early as Thursday evening. Around forty flights have already been canceled Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Alberta company.
On Monday, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represents some 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and other specialized positions at the carrier, announced that it had served the company with a 72-hour strike notice, claiming that the management side broke off negotiations.
For its part, WestJet asked the federal Minister of Labor to refer negotiations to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which would then arbitrate the terms of a collective agreement.
The company maintains that while awaiting this decision, it has no choice but to begin canceling flights, in order to “park aircraft in a safe and orderly manner.”
This measure allows the carrier to “proactively communicate with its guests and crews to minimize logistical problems” and avoid having to “abandon planes in a remote destination,” he argued.
The forty flights canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday affect around 6,500 passengers, according to the company, which nevertheless assures that it is offering help to those affected.
“We are extremely saddened to find ourselves in a position where we must activate our emergency plan and park our aircraft, due to the AMFA strike notice. We deeply regret the disruption this will cause to the travel plans of our guests and the communities and businesses that rely on our essential air services,” WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen wrote in a statement.
“Following the almost unanimous decision of members to reject a generous agreement in principle which would have made our mechanics responsible for maintaining aircraft the best paid in the country, with an increase in net salary from 30% to 40% over the course of In the first year of the proposed agreement, it is clear that the negotiation process has collapsed,” he continued.
“The union is now using the important travel plans of our valued guests to attempt to force a deal that would threaten the financial viability of our airline’s future,” he said.
WestJet recommends that customers check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
The union cited wages, outsourcing, hours and layoff protection as central issues in the bargaining process.