More flight cancellations due to strike, says WestJet

The travel disruptions come after members of the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association walked off the job Friday afternoon, saying WestJet’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”

The strike action comes after union members rejected a WestJet deal earlier this month and after two weeks of tense negotiations between the two sides, which resulted in the federal government stepping in and forcing for WestJet and the union to pursue binding arbitration.

AMFA management released a letter from the Canada Industrial Relations Board regarding its decision in which it states that the ministerial referral “does not have the effect of suspending the right to strike or lockout.”

WestJet said it is “extremely outraged by these actions and will hold AMFA fully accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs that result.”

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, who said the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s order was “clearly inconsistent” with the direction he had given, spoke out again Saturday, calling on both sides to work together with the board to reach an agreement.

The Canadian Press (with files from Christopher Reynolds in Montreal).