Canada's WestJet flight attendants go on strike in dispute over pay, flights cancelled, 250,000 flyers impacted
Canada's WestJet cancelled hundreds of flights after flight attendants went on strike on Sunday, following talks with the country's second-largest carrier that fell through. According
Canada's WestJet cancelled hundreds of flights after flight attendants went on strike on Sunday, following talks with the country's second-largest carrier that fell through. According to the airline, approximately 250,000 travellers have had their flights cancelled on a three-day holiday weekend in Canada. More passengers will be affected depending on how long the work stoppage lasts, Reuters reported. Also Read | India’s factory boom faces a worker deficit The carrier, which has a domestic market share of 30 percent and flies to destinations in the US, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe, had cancelled 615 flights as of mid-morning Sunday, aviation analytics company Cirium was quoted by Reuters as saying. What's happening? WestJet is majority-owned by Onex Corp. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 4,400 flight attendants at the carrier, announced the strike on its Facebook page. The union is seeking pay for its members from the time they check in until they clock out, instead of mostly just for time when their aircraft is in motion, Reuters reported.
The union had given 72 hours' notice on Thursday to WestJet, signaling that a strike could occur if talks failed to produce an agreement. WestJet subsequently issued a lockout notice. Flight attendants staged a four-day work stoppage last August at larger rival Air Canada in a similar challenge to airlines' compensation structure. WestJet's offer to union On Sunday, WestJet released details of the deal it said it had offered the union in an effort to avert a strike, including a 13 percent wage increase this year followed by 2.5 percent wage increases each year through 2029. WestJet also said it offered additional pay for all hours worked, equivalent to another 12 percent salary increase. The company said the premium was offered to address the union's complaints regarding unpaid work. The proposal also boosted other benefits such as meal per diems, vacation allowance and maternity leave.
Talks fall through Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group, told Reuters, "We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised." "Unfortunately, it wasn't accepted," Hoensbroech told the Associated Press. Also Read | Canada wildfire smoke chokes US cities as Trump demands tariff hike Meanwhile, Alia Hussain, president of the union chapter that represents the cabin crew, was quoted as saying that negotiators "tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognises the value of the work cabin crews do". "WestJet's offer did not go far enough," Hussain said. Both sides said they were willing to resume negotiations to reach an agreement.
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