Air Canada says some operations will start to be affected today as time is running out before a potential shutdown because of a labour dispute with its pilots. Air Canada pilots stand during an informational picket at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s up to Air Canada and the union to reach an agreement to avoid disrupting travellers and businesses.
Speaking at an event in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que. on Friday, Trudeau said he wouldn’t tip the scales towards either party, while dodging the question of whether he would force pilots back to work.
The airline and pilots will be in a position starting Sunday to issue 72-hour notice of a strike or lockout.
The airline has said the notice would trigger its three-day wind-down plan and start the clock on a full work stoppage that could come as early as Sept. 18.
The airline says the union is being inflexible with “unreasonable wage demands.”
The union has said that it is corporate greed that’s holding up talks, as Air Canada continues to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market compensation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
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