Travellers reassured despite strike mandate by Air Canada pilots

The union representing Air Canada's pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action Tuesday, but the pilots insist the move is "defensive" and that passengers have nothing to worry about.

The Air Canada Pilots Association membership voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike. The union, which represents the airline's 3,000 pilots, said it shows the pilots' dedication to reaching a negotiated settlement with the airline.

Union president Paul Strachan said Tuesday night the vote results translated to the ability to even the playing field with the company, which was in a position to enforce a legal lockout. The union has been without a collective agreement since March 31, 2011.

Strachan said despite the support for a strike mandate, the pilots have full intentions of working out a deal and not hitting the picket lines.

"We took the vote because we had to," he said Tuesday night. "Air Canada was in a position, as of midnight (Tuesday), to arbitrarily change our terms, including outsourcing, which is a real concern of ours.

"From the passengers' perspective, the developments of (Tuesday) means they can book with confidence. This was a defensive manoeuvre only, and we have no intention of strike action at this point."

The airline also assured passengers that there's no need to panic following the vote results.

"We are committed to a negotiated settlement with our pilots and look forward to a final resolution to these long-standing negotiations," Duncan Dee, Air Canada's executive vice-president and COO, said in a statement Tuesday night. "It is business as usual, and customers can continue to make their travel plans and book with confidence."

Air Canada and the pilots' union have been attempting to reach a new agreement since October 2010. The two sides have been engaged in negotiations through a conciliator since last November.

Both sides welcomed Tuesday's announcement from the federal labour minister that puts further measures in place to see a deal reached at the negotiating table.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in a statement Tuesday she is offering Air Canada and its pilots a new mediator and a six-month process to help them settle their contract negotiations.

Strachan said Tuesday night negotiations will continue with a new mediator when the appointment is finalized. Air Canada also has said it is confident it can avoid a damaging labour disruption and that talks will continue.

The federal government has provided a conciliator to work with the sides for more than two months, Raitt said in her statement.

"We've delivered an overwhelming mandate here, but what it shows is that the Air Canada pilots are united in their quest for a negotiated settlement," Strachan said. "Coupled with the good policy we saw from (Raitt) today, (the strike mandate) delivers us a sincere vigour (for) Air Canada to actually engage us at the table ? it's good news."

In her statement, Raitt cited the fragile economy as a primary reason to avoid any labour disruption at Canada's largest air carrier.

"We believe that a work stoppage at Air Canada is contrary to the best interest of hard-working Canadians, Canadian businesses and the already fragile economy," she said.

"I will continue to do everything within my power to encourage an agreement between the parties, one that protects the interests of the pilots, Air Canada and the travelling public."

It was not clear from Raitt's statement whether that might include possible back-to-work legislation, such as the kind the government introduced last summer for striking Canada Post workers. The language Raitt used Tuesday, however, is similar to remarks about the "fragile economy" she made during last year's labour dispute.

In September, when Air Canada's 6,800 flight attendants were poised to strike, the government again threatened back-to-work legislation. An arbitrator subsequently ended up imposing a deal the workers had previously rejected.

Air Canada has faced several periods of disruption or near disruption over the past six months, including a three-day strike in June by customer service agents and the just-averted walkout by flight attendants.

Strachan said there are numerous "complex issues" keeping both sides from reaching a negotiated deal, but said two main obstacles are causing increased strain on the process.

He said pilots took a "20 to 30 per cent" cut in compensation about 10 years ago, with "absolutely no improvement since."

The pilots are also concerned about the potential for outsourcing of jobs with the possibility of a low-cost spinoff from Air Canada. Strachan said the union doesn't have outright issues with a low-cost carrier, but wants to receive more information about the changes associated with any potential expansion.

The union insists the company cited a "manufactured crisis" to put itself in a legal lockout position.

"This was 100 per cent a defensive measure on our part and it was done to put us on equal footing with the corporation," Strachan said. "The Air Canada pilots have absolutely no intention whatsoever, of striking at point. I was be very surprised if there was any issue."

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Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F56/~3/LrGT3uEgniw/story.html

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