Summary
- Air Transat flight attendants have been met with a brand new collective deal, avoiding a possible strike.
- The previous tentative agreement was rejected earlier this month.
- The brand new offer goals to satisfy flight attendants’ expectations and reflect their value as high-performing individuals within the industry.
Five days after Air Transat flight attendants rejected a tentative agreement, employees were reportedly met with a brand new collective deal. Greater than 2,000 flight attendants working for the carrier are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
The leisure-focused carrier and union have been negotiating a brand new agreement for months. The brand new development will keep the flight attendants from occurring strike, which was previously planned if a renewed deal was not determined by the brand new yr.
Subject to a vote
Air Transat announced that the most recent tentative agreement was reached on January eighth. To review the terms of the deal, members have participated normally meetings over the week. Air Transat commented on the news in an announcement, confirming that flights wouldn’t be affected.
“We’re pleased to verify that Air Transat and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a brand new tentative agreement for the renewal of the collective agreement. The agreement might be presented to members shortly and is subject to a vote. Presently, all Air Transat flights are maintained.”
Photo: Air Transat
Until the agreement has been submitted for a vote, the airline said it could not comment further on the matter.
Reached, but then rejected
The previous collective agreement, which covered Air Transat’s flight attendants based at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), expired in 2022. Nonetheless, talks to renew the deal began last yr. After months of stagnant negotiations, nearly 100% of the flight attendants voted in favor of a strike in November.
As determined within the strike mandate, industrial motion would have occurred on January third if a deal had not been reached before then. Nonetheless, a tentative agreement between the airline and the union was reportedly reached on December 14th. While the move averted a possible strike, it was short-lived because the flight attendants voted to reject the deal normally meetings held in late December.
Last week, CUPE announced that its members didn’t ratify the tentative agreement. Fearing the potential of a strike yet again, Air Transat issued a notice on its website. This notice, nevertheless, has since been removed following the most recent tentative deal agreed upon earlier this week. The carrier was also reportedly disenchanted with the end result of the December rejection vote.
said Julie Lamontagne, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer of Air Transat.
Financial insecurities “each day”
The flight attendants have been fighting for salary increases as living costs have skyrocketed lately. As well as, many are likely impatient for a satisfactory deal as negotiations have been essentially stagnant since last yr.
said Dominic Levasseur, The President of CUPE’s Air Transat, last week.
Photo: Air Transat
With the event of one other tentative deal reached this week, it seems that the flight attendants are more pleased with the renewed terms of the deal, as they’ve been pushing for competitive salaries that reflect their value. Levasseur also explained that the agreement must and
Lamontagne said further.