Government says Air Canada strike would be ‘unacceptable’

The federal government is considering its options Monday on how to handle a renewed threat of a strike at Canada’s largest airline.

However a spokeswoman for Labour Minister Lisa Raitt left little doubt that the government will intervene if Air Canada flight attendants make good on a threat to walk off the job this week.

“We will be clear that a work stoppage is unacceptable in this time of fragile economy,” said Ashley Kelehear in an email late Sunday.

The 6,800 flight attendants rejected a second tentative deal and served strike notice on Sunday.

They will be able to walk off the job as early as 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, said a news release from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the workers.

The union said 65 per cent of those who voted rejected the deal, but didn’t say how many took part in the vote.

It’s the second time the flight attendants turned down a tentative agreement. They turned down an offer in August, triggering a new round of contract talks last month.

Jeff Taylor, the president of CUPE’s Air Canada division, said in a news release that the second rejection shows how frustrated flight attendants are with the airline after years of giving concessions.

Air Canada issued a statement indicating it hoped to avoid a work stoppage, but said it would maintain a partial schedule in the event of a strike.

“We are perplexed and disappointed that two tentative agreements negotiated in good faith and unanimously recommended by the democratically elected representatives of our flight attendants have failed to be ratified,” said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Neither side said they would comment beyond what was in their statements, which didn’t mention if negotiations would resume.

The federal government has already intervened twice in high-profile labour disputes this year. A walkout by the airline’s customer service agents ended in June after three days and produced a tentative contract when Raitt indicated she would intervene.

Raitt actually introduced legislation in June to end a dispute at Canada Post that shut down the post office.

In the CUPE statement, Taylor expressed hope that Raitt would not use the same tactics.

“We ask the federal government, in the strongest possible terms, to respect our right to collective bargaining and not intervene unilaterally in this dispute”, said Taylor.

The House of Commons is not scheduled to be in session this week so MPs would have to be recalled if a back-to-work bill was to be introduced before next week.

Air Canada said it would allow customers booked for travel over the next six days to change dates free of charge.

Union leaders had predicted the revamped offer would be approved. They said they had managed to get about 80 per cent of what the membership had demanded in the areas of wages, pensions, crew rest, working conditions and work rules.