Air Canada cancelled hundreds of flights due to flight attendants' strike

Air Canada has cancelled more than 600 flights due to a flight attendant strike that began on Saturday morning, August 16. It is attended by 10,000 employees of the company, according to The Washington Post.

It is noted that in August, the airline's flight attendants negotiated a new employment contract, but they failed. As a result, Air Canada appealed to the government to intervene in the situation, which the company can do under the country's labor laws in order to involve a third party as an arbitrator.

The flight attendants opposed this decision and went on strike at 01:00 Ottawa time (08:00 Moscow time). The airline responded by saying it would not allow flight attendants into the country's airports.

As a result, not only domestic but also international flights of Air Canada were canceled. At The same time, The Washington Post notes, additional flight cancellations can be expected in the future.

Hugh Pulio, a representative of the Canadian Civil Servants' Union, representing 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, said that airline employees are demanding that their salaries be adjusted to those of smaller competitors in the Canadian market, as well as pay for "ground labor," that is, the time that flight attendants work off-flight. At the moment, the airline does not provide compensation for work before and after the flight.

So, according to Pulio, the salary of a novice flight attendant is about three quarters of the salary of an employee with similar experience at a competing company, Air Transat.

At the same time, flight attendants are not satisfied with the fact that pilots, most of whom are men, received 26% more last year, while flight attendants, most of whom are women, received only 8% more. According to The Washington Post, employees believe that this is a manifestation of the gender pay gap.

Air Canada has already offered flight attendants a 38% salary increase over four years, the article notes.

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Earlier, on March 9, it was reported that Hamburg Airport was suspended. It was clarified that the Ver.di trade union demands an 8% salary increase or at least €350 per month, as well as an increase in bonuses and additional vacation time. On March 10, a 24-hour strike was planned for employees at almost all German airports. Its representatives warned that passengers should prepare for massive restrictions on departure and arrival, including flight cancellations.

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