The federal government’s probe into allegations about unpaid work in Canada’s airline sector should wrap up by early December, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday.
After a disruptive labor dispute that grounded hundreds of Air Canada flights in August, Hajdu first announced the review. The issue of flight attendants’ unpaid work was a major factor in the impasse. On Monday Employment and Social Development Canada announced that roundtables with industry stakeholders will be held on Sept. 23 and 24 and Oct. 2 and 3.
Ottawa also has set an October 17 deadline for feedback. The department said it will publish the results as soon as possible.
“All this information will be collected and disseminated in a report that will be publicly available by early December, and then we’ll be able to take appropriate action,” Hajdu told The Canadian Press in an interview.Hajdu said the key question is whether there is a loophole that lets airline employers avoid compensating flight attendants fairly for their work.
The minister has said this process could result in new legislation to close gaps in the labour code. She also said Ottawa will proceed cautiously and she doesn’t want to prejudge the outcome.“ “The government wants to be very careful about what we do next to make sure that we uphold the right for members and employers to bargain the terms of work and the conditions of work, as they see fit,” Hajdu said in her Gatineau office on Monday. My understanding is that these collective agreements are negotiated. “We also know that Canadians, rightfully so, can’t stand for unpaid work, and so we need to get to the bottom of it.”
In order to bring an end to the lockout and strike at Air Canada in August, Hajdu ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in and invoke section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents some 10,000 flight attendants, overwhelmingly rejected the company’s last wage offer in a vote on Sept. 6. Now the two sides are awaiting mediation, and eventually arbitration if the dispute remains unresolved.The union has maintained the cabin crew members it represents are not being paid fairly and are not properly compensated for time they must spend on the job when planes are not in the air.The union maintains that flight attendants work about 35 hours on average each month for free.
According to Air Canada, the company offered enhancements to benefits, pensions, and wages, as well as a new clause in the contract that acknowledged ground time. Hajdu stated that allegations of unpaid labor must be addressed immediately. She stated, “It’s really important to understand what the root of this allegation is, how it came to be, the remedies, and what all parties think is the best remedy.” “This is obviously not unique to Canada. This is an industry-wide approach. But Canada can lead in terms of solving what I think sounds like a very deep irritant for workers in this industry.”
Other North American airlines don’t compensate flight attendants for time spent on the ground before and after flights under their collective agreements. Ground pay has recently been sought by United Airlines and other airline attendants in renegotiations of their contracts. On Tuesday, CUPE-represented flight attendants are expected to gather on Parliament Hill to demand an end to what they consider to be unpaid work in the domestic airline industry.
Airline sector work probe expected to wrap by December, minister says
