OTTAWA, ON, JUNE 2, 2010 – The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Labour, met on June 1st with representatives from Jazz, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), and the Canadian Flight Attendants Union (CFAU), and encouraged all parties to continue to work hard to come to agreements.
“While Canada has weathered this global economic crisis better than most countries, our economy remains fragile,” said Minister Raitt. “To ensure that Canada’s economic recovery is not put in jeopardy, it is prudent for all parties to successfully negotiate new collective agreements and avoid work stoppages.”
ALPA’s collective agreement, covering 1,500 pilots, and CFAU’s collective agreement, covering 850 flight attendants, both expired on June 30, 2009. On May 25, 2010, mediators from the Government of Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service were appointed to assist the ALPA and Jazz, as well as the CFAU and Jazz, in their negotiations. All parties have agreed to resume negotiations. The ALPA and Jazz have scheduled negotiation sessions starting today until June 13, and the CFAU will meet with Jazz from June 7 to 11.
“The onus is on the parties to renew their collective agreements,” said Minister Raitt. “I am pleased to learn that all parties have scheduled negotiations in the next two weeks, and the Government of Canada is willing to assist in this process to facilitate a successful resolution.”
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service was established to provide dispute resolution and dispute prevention assistance to trade unions and employers under the jurisdiction of the Canada Labour Code. Mediation aims to achieve a collective agreement and avoid a work stoppage.
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