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Air Canada suspends operations as cabin staff go on strike

Over 10,000 flight attendants take part in industrial action after talks with the carrier stalled over demands for higher wages

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Travellers wait in line at the Air Canada counter in Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Dorval, Quebec, on August 15. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
Associated Press

Air Canada suspended all operations as more than 10,000 flight attendants went on strike early on Saturday after a deadline to reach a deal passed, leaving travellers around the world stranded and scrambling during the peak summer travel season.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed the strike had started after no deal was reached, and the airline said shortly after that it would halt operations.

A bitter contract fight between Canada’s largest airline and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants escalated on Friday as the union turned down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which would eliminate its right to strike and allow a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
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Flight attendants walked off the job around 0500 GMT (1pm Hong Kong time) on Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports.

Air Canada workers speak with a passenger at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Friday. Photo: Reuters.
Air Canada workers speak with a passenger at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Friday. Photo: Reuters.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu met both the airline and union on Friday night and urged them to work harder to them to reach a deal “once and for all”.

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