Labour minister asks Air Canada, union to avert strike

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is urging Air Canada and the union representing its customer service and sales staff to reach an agreement soon.

"The Government of Canada has received a strong mandate from Canadians and our focus remains the fragile economic recovery," Raitt said in a statement Saturday. "I am concerned about the potential impact of a work stoppage on Canadians and on Canada's economic recovery.

"We are committed to supporting unions and employers, while advancing stable labour relations," she added. "I remind the parties that the best solution in any dispute is one that the parties reach themselves. I therefore urge and encourage the parties to reach a negotiated agreement as soon as possible."

On Thursday, the Canadian Auto Workers issued a 72-hour strike notice to Air Canada, setting the stage for a possible work stoppage Monday at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The CAW says that after 10 weeks of negotiations, "there are still a number of important issues halting progress at the bargaining table, such as demands for dramatic cuts to the pension plan that could result in pensions being reduced by 40% for existing members, a plan which members pay into."

The union says that "Air Canada is also demanding a number of other economic concessions, including a reduction in benefits for current members and retirees, as well as an increase to their part-time workforce, which already occupies approximately 35% of jobs."

Air Canada maintains that it has "contingency plans in place to operate a full schedule in the event of a strike."

The carrier is urging customers booked for travel over the coming days "to familiarize themselves prior to travel with the self-service check-in and booking tools available at its website so that they can self-manage their bookings and travel in event of job action."