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Air Transat's flight attendants authorize strike mandate

Ananta Agarwal
Updated ·2-min read
An Airbus A330 aircraft of Air Transat airlines takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse

By Ananta Agarwal

(Reuters) - More than 2,000 flight attendants at Air Transat voted to authorize a strike mandate following negotiations since April, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said on Monday.

In the event of a strike, which would become legal as of Jan. 3, 2024 under the Canadian Labour Code, it should be anticipated that all flights will be canceled, the union said in a statement.

"We are confident we have enough time until then to find an agreement," Transat told Reuters.

"So far, the tone at the bargaining table remains cordial and respectful and discussions are progressing well on both parties' respective demands," Transat said.

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Canada-listed tour operator Transat AT Inc offers air travel under the Air Transat brand.

The strike mandate, approved by a nearly unanimous vote of 99.8%, comes after 33 negotiation sessions. It reflects the flight attendants' exceptionally high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions, particularly with wages and purchasing power, according to CUPE's statement.

"More than 50% of them (the members) have been forced to take on a second or even a third job to make ends meet, and their starting salary is only C$26,577 per year," said Dominic Levasseur, president of the Air Transat Component of CUPE.

Air Canada pilots also staged a protest in September, negotiating for better pay and working conditions after U.S. counterparts such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines made historic gains in new labor deals over the last few months.

The aggressive stance mimics recent labor disputes at other industries such as casinos, logistics and automotives.

The collective agreement for 2,100 flight attendants based at airports in Montreal and Toronto expired on Oct. 31, 2022, CUPE said.

As of July 31, 2023, Air Transat's permanent fleet consisted of 13 Airbus A330s, 14 Airbus A321LRs and eight Airbus A321ceos.

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Priyamvada C, Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)