Canada’s labor regulator on Monday declared the nationwide strike by Air Canada’s flight attendants illegal after workers ignored a government directive to return to their posts, intensifying a crisis that has paralyzed the country’s largest airline and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers.
The ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents roughly 10,000 flight attendants, to instruct its members to resume work by midday. The order came after the union defied an earlier directive requiring employees to be back on the job by Sunday afternoon.
Air Canada, facing mounting cancellations and severe operational disruption, announced it would suspend its profit forecasts for the year. The airline said nearly 130,000 passengers a day were being affected by grounded flights, while call centers and booking systems remained overwhelmed.
Union leaders have openly rejected the government’s intervention, calling the back-to-work order unconstitutional. In a defiant gesture, CUPE president Mark Hancock publicly tore up the board’s directive and vowed the strike would continue until a negotiated agreement was reached.
Such open defiance of the labor board is almost without precedent in Canada, where back-to-work legislation has long been used to break transportation and postal strikes. The confrontation now raises questions about the government’s ability to enforce compliance without deepening tensions with organized labor.
Prime Minister Mark Carney urged both sides to resolve the dispute quickly but offered few details on what additional steps his government might take. Legal experts noted that the Supreme Court of Canada has previously ruled that the right to strike is constitutionally protected, complicating any attempt to impose penalties on the union.
For Air Canada, the stakes are significant. The airline has been struggling to recover from pandemic-era losses and to maintain its competitive position against U.S. carriers. Analysts warn that a prolonged shutdown could erode consumer confidence and cause lasting damage to its international reputation.
Passengers, meanwhile, have been left in limbo. The airline has promised refunds and alternative travel options, but airports in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal have seen crowds of stranded travelers scrambling to rebook flights.
The clash has become one of the most significant labor disputes in Canadian aviation in decades, underscoring the fragile balance between workers’ rights and the government’s efforts to keep essential services operating.
0 Comments