TORONTO: The union representing striking sales and customer service agents at Air Canada said on Wednesday it was determined to reach a contract agreement with the country’s biggest airline before the federal government forced employees back to work.
Reuters reported on Thursday that talks between negotiators for Air Canada and the Canadian Auto Workers continued in Toronto on Wednesday, as flight delays continued at airports around the country on the second day of the strike.
“We don’t think that the government should be interfering in the collective bargaining process. We are determined to come to some sort of agreement before that happens,” CAW spokeswoman, Shannon Devine said.
Air Canada said it hoped its” efforts will result in a negotiated contract through the normal bargaining process,” airline spokeswoman Angela Mah said. The only outstanding issue between the two sides was differences on pensions, she said.
Labour Minister, Lisa Raitt, gave a 48-hour notice on Tuesday night of a bill to force the 3,800 striking check-in and call centre staff back to work, but she said on Wednesday it could take seven or eight days to pass the legislation.
She appeared unaware of a government motion that would enable the bill to be passed in one day.
“We wouldn’t anticipate having anything passed before the weekend. At the very least it’s about seven or eight days in total,” Raitt told reporters, referring to how long such legislation had taken historically.
Jack Layton, leader of the pro-union New Democratic Party, the biggest opposition party in Parliament, told reporters the Conservative government was backing the wrong side in threatening back-to-work legislation.
“It wasn’t too long ago that the working folks, who made that airline run, took huge cutbacks in order to keep that airline afloat, and then we have the CEO walking away with millions and then wanting to take away pensions (the workers) were counting on for their retirement,” he said.