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How arbitration plans went awry in WestJet mechanics strike
BNN Bloomberg
On Thursday, a directive for binding arbitration from Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan was met with job action by WestJet plane mechanics just one day after it was issued, catching the airline and the government off guard and marking a turbulent start to one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.
But on Thursday, a directive for binding arbitration from Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan was met with job action by WestJet plane mechanics just one day after it was issued, catching the airline and the government off guard and marking a turbulent start to one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.
The work stoppage, which ended late Sunday night, raises questions about a dispute resolution process that pushed tensions to the breaking point and how consumers should respond to the threat of an airline strike.
Given the minister's broad authority "to secure industrial peace" under the Canada Labour Code, O'Regan had the power to bar a strike in a directive to the country's labour tribunal that imposes binding arbitration, said a union official and aviation experts.
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On Thursday, a directive for binding arbitration from Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan was met with job action by WestJet plane mechanics just one day after it was issued, catching the airline and the government off guard and marking a turbulent start to one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.