"The rights and wages of our members at Air Canada are being attacked by the federal government," Dave Ritchie, head of the Canadian branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said.
The proposed legislation, if passed, would force an end to any labour disruption at Canada's largest airline. The 8,600-member machinists union has had a mandate to strike since Monday, and last week, the airline said it would lock out its 3,000 pilots at the same deadline.
But both job actions have been delayed indefinitely as Ottawa moved quickly to block any potential work disruption during the busy March break travel season. Citing undue harm that a shutdown would have on the economy, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced the proposed legislation on Monday.
"We will take swift actions to ensure that Canada's economic recovery is not negatively affected and that Canadians across the country who rely on air services are not unduly impacted," Raitt said.
The language of the bill calls for an arbitrator to implement what's known as a final offer selection — an option in negotiations that have typically reached an impasse. Instead of negotiating a halfway point, a final offer selection involves both sides pitching their cases, and the arbitrator picks one over the other, as a basis for a new agreement.
Raitt defended that option on Friday, noting the two sides have been at the bargaining table for the past 18 months without a solution.
"They've been around these issues," she told reporters in Ottawa. "It is appropriate for a final offer arbitration in this case."
"We're not saying the employer is correct and we're not saying the union is correct," Raitt added. "What we're saying is the Canadian public is caught in this and we're going to act because of them."
"It is time to get certainty back so they can move forward."
Closure motion
The government invoked closure Tuesday afternoon on a motion to speed up debate of the back-to-work legislation, Bill C-33, bringing the motion to a vote in the House of Commons by 8 p.m. ET. The closure motion's passage is all but assured by the Conservatives' majority, setting up four hours of non-stop debate on the back-to-work bill toward a final vote at about 2:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
The bill would then go to the Senate, where the Conservatives would use their majority for similar swift passage, and the legislation could receive royal asset into law before the end of the week.
The machinists union said Tuesday the bill "goes beyond what was needed."
"It’s a sad day for any federally regulated worker in Canada because this legislation says you do not have the right to strike, period," Ritchie said. "This will undermine free collective bargaining and poison labour relations across Canada."
The airline says it is trying to strike a new deal with its business models to implement a sustainable model. For its part, the union wants to get back some concessions given up when the company restructured in 2004.
Original Article
Source: CBC
Author: cbc news
No comments:
Post a Comment