Patty Hajdu calls allegations of unpaid work in airline sector 'deeply concerning': 'Nobody should work for free'
The federal government has initiated consultations to examine allegations of unpaid work among flight attendants in Canada’s airline sector.
Patty Hajdu—minister of jobs and families and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario—announced the launch of a probe into whether flight attendants are being compensated in accordance with the Canada Labour Code.
The government will consult with targeted stakeholders to determine if current pay practices meet federal requirements.
“Flight attendants should be paid for the work that they do,” said Hajdu. “The allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector are deeply concerning—we will be digging into this and will find out what is at the root of these allegations—because nobody should work for free.”
The consultations follow concerns raised about the working conditions and pay of federally regulated flight attendants.
Earlier today, Air Canada said it will gradually restart its operations after reaching a mediated agreement with CUPE through a process overseen by a mutually agreed-to mediator, William Kaplan.
Fair compensation for flight attendants
Ottawa stated that it is committed to protecting workers and supporting fair and productive workplaces.
“Flight attendants play a critical role in keeping Canadian families and workers safe as they travel. It is important that they be compensated fairly at all times,” said Hajdu.
In 2023, Ottawa introduced new hours of work provisions and exempted some workers from hours of work requirements under the Canada Labour Code (CLC).
Under Regulation SOR/2023-180, certain classes of employees in the banking, telecommunications and broadcasting, rail, and airline sectors are exempt from specific hours of work requirements. Amendments to the CLC came into force in 2019 to support work-life balance by providing employees with more predictability in relation to their hours of work.
Air Canada strike ending
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) claims that Air Canada flight attendants are not paid for a significant portion of their time on the job, including while they perform critical safety checks, attend to onboard medical and safety emergencies, and assist passengers with boarding and deplaning.
Also, while inflation has increased 169% and average full-time wages have increased 210% in Canada since 2000, entry-level Air Canada flight attendants’ wages have increased only 10%—just $3 per hour—in the past 25 years, said CUPE.
“Air Canada has raked in billions in profits in the past few years. They can afford to pay us fairly without raising costs for the public,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.
On Monday, Air Canada announced it would not proceed with its planned resumption of limited flights after the CUPE instructed flight attendants to disregard a Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) directive to return to work.
Mediation discussions began on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work, allowing the airline to resume the operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, which have been grounded since Aug. 16.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologise for the impact on them of this labour disruption. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. “Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days. I assure them that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything possible to enable them to travel soon.”
