| Air Canada gives pilots deadline to take 'final' offer
Two Air Canada jets taxi at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield, N. Thursday, saying in a release that the move would "bring finality" to the negotiations and "bring stability for its customers. "We need to bring closure to the ongoing climate of labour uncertainty at Air Canada which is affecting our customers, destabilizing the Company and our operations, and damaging the Air Canada brand," said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, in the release. "When you do a deal at the table you should be representing your members," Raitt said. The two sides have been negotiating for 18 months as the pilots continued to work under a contract that expired in 2011. In February, a federally-appointed mediator was assigned to help the two sides come to an agreement. Meanwhile, 8,600 mechanics, baggage handlers and cargo agents are threatening to strike on Monday. The upheaval comes as families across Canada prepare for March break vacations, many involving the country's largest airline. Vacation plans aren't the only reason to encourage workers to stay on the job, she said, noting many remote communities depend on Air Canada to fly people and goods in and out. "Air Canada last year boosted compensation for its top five executives by 30 per cent," said a release issued Friday by the union. The company said its "final" offer included wage increases of two or three per cent each year over five years, made it easier for newer pilots to accrue money on their pensions, and maintained their coveted "defined benefit" pension. "It's the fourth time that members in Air Canada have failed to ratify," she said, despite what she describes as "almost a model negotiation" at the bargaining table. It's quite unique to Air Canada. Over her tenure as labour minister, Raitt has designed a reputation for getting involved in labour disputes, weighing in on negotiations involving Air Canada's pilots, customer service agents and flight attendants. Air Canada says it will lock out its pilots on Monday at 12:10 a. , just ten minutes after a strike deadline set by the company's mechanics, baggage handlers and cargo agents' union. Raitt not ruling out involvement Labour Minister Lisa Raitt says the ongoing tensions between Air Canada and its employees are unlike any labour dispute she has seen -- and she is not ruling out getting more involved. Labour groups have criticized the governmentfor effectively removing their right to strike through legislation and pressure tactics. On Wednesday, the company told its pilots' union -- one of several unions in heated labour talks with the airline - that it had until noon Thursday to accept what it called the "best, last and final" contract offer. Raitt says Air Canada has been bargaining with various unions for 18 months and has seen a similar pattern emerging across the board. Minister of Labour Lisa Raitt appears on CTV's Canada AM on Thursday, March 8, 2012. The union, which represents about 3,000 pilots, is also in a legal strike position. She said it shows a disconnect between the union's negotiators and the workers they are representing. |
Friday, 9 March 2012
Air Canada gives pilots deadline to take 'final' offer
