Air Canada Flight Attendants Reach Temporary Deal, Strike Expected to End Soon

Toronto: The ongoing strike by flight attendants at Air Canada, the largest airline in Canada, appears to be coming to an end following a negotiations. On Tuesday morning, the union representing the striking workers announced that it had reached a temporary agreement with Air Canada to suspend the strike.

The strike began early on Saturday morning after the union issued a 72-hour strike notice, disrupting Air Canada’s operations worldwide. Over 2,500 flights were cancelled by Monday afternoon, including 1,219 domestic and 1,339 international services, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The core issues leading to the strike centred around wages and compensation for flight attendants, particularly concerning unpaid work performed when flights are grounded. Despite nearly eight months of contract negotiations, the parties had failed to agree on these critical points. The union argued that flight attendants were not being fairly compensated for their full range of duties, a concern that ultimately led to the strike action.

Earlier, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the strike illegal and ordered flight attendants to return to work. However, the union defied the ruling, maintaining that its members would not resume duties until a fair agreement was reached. Following this, negotiations between Air Canada and the union resumed late Monday evening, culminating in the temporary agreement announced on Tuesday.

The union representing the flight attendants, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), has approximately 10,000 members and has been vocal about protecting workers’ rights amid government efforts to limit strike actions in critical sectors. Labour leaders criticised the government’s repeated use of legal mechanisms to curtail strikes in transportation sectors such as ports and railways.

With the temporary deal in place, Air Canada is expected to gradually resume normal flight operations. Both sides continue to work toward a final contract agreement that addresses outstanding issues, including fair wages and working conditions, to ensure long-term stability and prevent future disruptions.