WestJet said in a statement that it is ‘outraged’ and severe travel disruption should be expected if the strike isn’t called off immediately
WestJet said in a Friday statement the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) had notified it that the union began strike action on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The Calgary-based airline said it expects “severe” travel disruptions if the strike isn’t called off immediately, saying a methodical network takedown can no longer happen.
The strike comes at the beginning of a busy Canada Day long weekend, kicking off the summer travel season.
“Given arbitration has been ordered, a strike has no leverage on the arbitration’s outcome, so it is pure retaliation of a disappointed union,” said Diedrik Pen, president of WestJet.
“We are extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”
WestJet is asking travellers to check the status of their flight this weekend before leaving for the airport.
AMFA said employees are eager to return to work but “the timeline for that is very much in the hands of WestJet Management.”
In a late-Thursday social media post, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said he was invoking his authority under the Canada Labour Code to resolve the impasse between the two sides as the clock ticked down toward a Friday evening deadline.
WestJet has requested intervention from O’Regan and the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
The CIRB could opt not to suspend the right to a work stoppage as it hammers out a contract, but precedent suggests that outcome is unlikely.
Union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative deal earlier this month and opposed WestJet’s request for intervention by the country’s labour tribunal — a submission that triggered the union’s initial strike threat.
—Files from The Canadian Press