BԪַ

Skip to content

BԪַFull resumption of operations will take timeBԪַ: WestJet restart slow after deal

Mechanics walked off the job Friday evening, announced tentative deal late Sunday
web1_20240702000720-668380988f2646fe9ea91f99jpeg
WestJet airplane mechanics stand in a the picket line at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Saturday, June 29, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet flight disruptions are expected to continue this week, after a deal was reached over the weekend to end a strike by its mechanics.

The airline said in a statement Monday morning that BԪַfull resumption of operations will take time and further cancellations will be required over the coming days.BԪַ

Some 680 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association had walked off the job on Friday evening despite a directive for binding arbitration from federal Labour Minister Seamus OBԪַRegan.

The tentative agreement was announced late Sunday night, but the strike had already disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend.

The airline said it had cancelled around 830 flights scheduled between Thursday and Monday. It later said another 214 flights were cancelled on Monday on top of 78 that had already been chopped, and 27 flights have been cancelled for Tuesday.

The Calgary-based airline says part of the challenge it faces is that its aircrafts are parked at 13 airports across Canada, and in several cases, the crews need to be transported to the aircraft for retrieval.

A statement from the union says BԪַthe timing was coincidental as the negotiation process did not follow a predictable timeline and if members ratify it, the compulsory arbitration ordered by the labour minister wonBԪַt be necessary.

READ ALSO:





(or

BԪַ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }