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Labour talks between Air Canada and its pilots are approaching a midnight deadline, when either side could trigger the start of a shutdown for Canada’s largest airline.
After more than 14 months of negotiations, starting Sunday the two sides will be in a position to provide 72-hour notice of a strike or lockout that could disrupt travel for the more than 100,000 passengers who fly the airline daily.
In the days leading up to the deadline, the two sides have said they remain far apart on the central question of pay.
The Air Line Pilots Association union, representing more than 5,200 pilots, has said 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.
The airline has said the union is being inflexible with “unreasonable wage demands,” prompting it to call for the government to be ready to intervene.
ALPA Canada president Capt. Tim Perry issued a statement on Friday, asking the federal government to respect workers’ collective bargaining rights and refrain from intervening in the bargaining process. He says the government intervention violates the constitutional rights and freedoms of Canadians.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau however has emphasized that it’s up to the two sides to figure out a deal.
Speaking Friday, Trudeau said the government isn’t just going to step in and fix the issue, something it did promptly after both of Canada’s major railways saw lockouts in August and during a strike by WestJet mechanics on the Canada Day long weekend.
He said the government respects the right to strike and will only intervene if it becomes clear no negotiated agreement is possible.
Numerous business groups have called on the government to intervene to protect the business and travellers.
Air Canada has said it will have to start gradually shutting down operations once 72-hour notice is given as it will take time to properly position its 252 aircraft and its crews that fly to 47 countries.
It says if operations are shut down, it will take up to 10 days to resume normal operations.
The airline is offering travellers scheduled to fly between Sunday and Sept. 23 to change their flight for free, which is a potential for extending that, and said it will notify all travellers of any impact in advance of their flight.
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