Air Transat pilots to open strike centre ahead of possible labour action

This story was updated on Monday, December 1 at 4:02 p.m. EST

Air Transat pilots will open a strike centre near Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in what it calls “the next step” toward a strike as they press management for a new contract.

This Wednesday (Dec. 3), Air Transat pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), will open the centre, which will be ALPA’s headquarters for all union operations during a potential pilot strike.

At the opening of the centre, the Air Transat Master Executive Council will announce the results of the strike vote that began on November 17 and will conclude on December 2.

The centre will also be used as a call centre and flight and pilot-tracking centre, and the gathering point for strike volunteers and equipment should the Air Transat pilots conduct a strike.

The Air Transat pilots opened contract negotiations with the airline in January of this year. The conciliation period concluded on November 18 and both parties are now in a 21-day cooling-off period.

The cooling-off period will end on December 10, after which time the union can declare a strike or management can impose a lockout. 

Air Transat remains "fully committed at the table"

In a statement shared Nov. 17, Air Transat said it has made "significant progress" in the talks and remains "fully committed at the table."

"From the outset, we agreed with the union to undertake a complete overhaul of the collective agreement, and both parties were aware of the timeline required to ensure rigorous work," the company said in a statement. "With that in mind, we began negotiations last January—three months before the collective agreement expired. The schedule remains reasonable for work of this magnitude."

The airline says the industry average for a regular collective agreement update is "about 18 months."

"We remain confident in reaching a negotiated agreement at the table, that reflects market and company realities," said Air Transat. "Despite the end of the conciliation period, we are continuing discussions with the designated conciliators. Several negotiation dates have already been scheduled through the end of the month."

In a follow-up statement Monday (Dec. 1), the airline said it has been actively pursuing discussions during the cooling-off period, with the support of the conciliators appointed by the Ministry of Labour.

"We are confident that we will reach a negotiated agreement that takes into account new market realities and those of the company and recognizes the contribution of our pilots," the company said.

The airline added that the opening of a strike centre "does not mean that a strike will occur."

"Both parties mentioned that it was not the objective and we are working hard to avoid this scenario," said the airline. 

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