Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that began on Saturday morning. The airline said it will gradually begin operations Tuesday.
The two sides met through the night with a federal mediator before reaching a tentative agreement that will be brought to members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The union also said it must advise that members must “fully co-operate with resumption of operations.”
Air Canada said the first flights are scheduled for Tuesday evening, but cautioned that the return to full, regular service may require seven to 10 days as aircraft and crew are out of position and that some flights will continue to be cancelled until the schedule is stabilized.
Flight attendants were supposed to stop striking Monday after the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled the labour action unlawful, after the federal government used Section 107 of the Labour Code to force the two sides into binding arbitration.
The board had given the union until noon ET Monday to provide public notice it had ended the strike, but the union did not comply.
Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said the airline was forced to cancel between 500 and 600 flights Monday.
He said the airline was caught off-guard by the union defying the order and expressed disappointment for the airline and stranded customers.
“We thought, obviously, the Section 107 would be enforced,” he said.
While the airline and union push for their preferred routes forward, many travellers remained in limbo.
Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier Monday had urged both sides to quickly resolve the situation causing major chaos for travellers, expressing disappointment that the two sides weren’t able to reach a deal to avoid disrupting travel for hundreds of thousands of people.
Flight attendants went on strike early Saturday morning after talks broke down and the two sides failed to reach a deal on Friday. Air Canada estimated Monday that some 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled since the strike began.
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