The federal government has outlined the next steps it will take in its investigation into unpaid work in the airline industry, saying it will consult with both employees and employers and hold two roundtable discussions with stakeholders.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced the probe in August, amid a strike at Air Canada by flight attendants, saying she found the union’s chief complaint that flight attendants are not paid for duties performed when planes are not in the air “deeply disturbing.”
Hajdu has said this process could result in new legislation — but she also says Ottawa wants to be “very careful” about what it does next, to ensure it upholds the right for union members and employers to bargain over terms of their work.
Hajdu says the key question she has is whether there’s a loophole that lets employers avoid their obligations to compensate flight attendants fairly for their work.
Employment and Social Development Canada will host round tables with industry stakeholders this month and next, and has set an Oct. 17 deadline for feedback. Hajdu said Monday she’s aiming to have the probe wrapped up by the end of the year.
The labour dispute by the union representing Air Canada flight attendants grounded hundreds of flights during the busy summer travel period.
The three-day strike ended Aug. 19 with the help of a federal mediator, and the two sides reached a tentative agreement, which included a 12 per cent salary increase this year for most junior flight attendants and an eight per cent bump for more senior members, followed by smaller raises in subsequent years.
The flight attendants overwhelmingly voted to reject that deal earlier this month, sending the wage issue back to mediation, a move that is not affecting flight operations.
