January 25, 2021 at 5:00 PM
Canada's aviation sector had been hopeful that 2021 would have brought some stability and normalcy for all of us. Sadly, as we enter week 4 of this new year, 2021 initially appears to be heading in the same direction as the previous year. Air Canada members are once again facing more uncertainty, as provinces and territories put additional COVID-19 measures in place and as the Prime Minister suggests even more significant restrictions.
While Canada’s federal government piles on the carnage without providing financial assistance to Air Canada, the employer, so far, has failed to entertain any options to soften the blow for its employees.
Here are a few points to ponder:
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In mid-2020, Unifor provided Air Canada pages of mitigation concepts to avoid mass-layoffs. Air Canada refused to consider any mitigation programs outside of the simplistic Special Voluntary Leave of Absence and proceeded to layoff thousands of their front-line employees; most of these members still remain on layoff today.
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In December, 2020, Air Canada applied to the Minister of Labour for a waiver of the Group Termination provisions of the Canada Labour Code arguing they should not have to follow the law of Canada. Unifor, along with other Air Canada union groups have filed objections to this application.
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On January 13, 2021, Air Canada again announced a surplus of staff. Their initial reaction was to rely solely on the Special Voluntary Leave of Absence without a broader discussion on mitigation. Unifor has sent an expanded list of mitigation concepts to the employer in hopes of avoiding members being placed on layoff status by mid-February. There are many options that can entice members (eg. voluntarily sever, time off, reduced work hours, etc.). We need to enter into meaningful discussions to find solutions for our members to avoid involuntary layoffs during this uncertain time.
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The employer has failed to be transparent with the union about the actual surplus numbers in each location, prior to the approval of the SVLOA’s. Some of those who applied for the LOA’s were denied, while Air Canada has proceeded with layoff notices to members in those locations.
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In Contact Centres, the distribution of the surplus is concerning. There are certainly red flags raised when we see the surplus in one contact centre is impacting members with 20 plus years of seniority, while in other contact centres, the surplus is impacting members with 1 year and less seniority. This lack of transparency leaves the union wondering what Air Canada is actually up to behind the scenes.
We have been pushing for a meeting to address these issues, and have just received confirmation that a mitigation meeting will take place tomorrow – Tuesday, January 26. We will advise of what progress is made following this meeting.
In solidarity,
Your Air Canada Bargaining Committee
Frances Galambosy, Central Region, Chairperson
Tammy Moore, Atlantic Region
Benoit Lapointe, Eastern Region
Joanne Goulet, Western Region
Steve Murphy, Pacific Region
Leslie Dias, Unifor Director – Airlines Sector
/21-01-25 Déjà vu for Air Canada Members en.txt