Government Moves to End Air Canada Strike
Photo Credit: An Air Canada Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Air Canada / Courtesy of Air Canada
Skift Take
The strike would disrupt thousands of flights and potentially leave thousands of passengers stranded or scrambling to find flights with other carriers.
The Canadian government said Saturday that it would impose binding arbitration on Air Canada and its flight attendants union, effectively ending the strike that had caused the carrier to completely shut down.
“This nationwide labour disruption is impeding the movement of passengers and critical cargo,” Patty Hajdu, Canada’s jobs minister, said in a statement. “In a year in which Canadian families and businesses have already experienced too much disruption and uncertainty, this is not the time to add additional challenges and disruptions to their lives and our economy.”
However, Air Canada will not immediately resume operations as normal, Hajdu said during a press conference on Saturday. An independent labor relations board will need 24 to 48 hours to review before it can issue a back-to-work order.
She added that Air Canada told the government that it would take an additional five to 10
