HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, Mar 29, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --CanJet Airlines laid off all its flight attendants based in Halifaxthis week. The 18 flight attendants comprise the entire staff workingout of Halifax. The workers also happen to be some of the most seniorCanJet staff across the country.
"It's a huge shock to all of us. It was not something we expected.Not that long ago we were in a meeting with the employer and they hadno intentions of making this move," says laid off flight attendantMary Fougere who is also the union local's president. "And it wasdone in such a cavalier way, with no consideration for workers. Someflight attendants found out from pilots on flights they were workingon."
The cuts also have a major impact on the union's local which waseffectively beheaded. Both the president of the union and thevice-president were served layoff notices.
CanJet is a division of IMP Group Limited, located in Halifax. Thecompany's behaviour was all the more shocking given that IMP tootsits own horn on all correspondence by claiming to be "Nova Scotia'stop employer".
The union has already filed two grievances following the job cuts."This is effectively a base closure as defined in the collectiveagreement and our contract says that in the case of a base closurethey have to meet with us in order to mitigate the effects of thelayoffs. This was not done. They didn't even serve layoff notices asper Canada's Labour Code," added Fougere.
This is the final blow to flight attendants in Halifax. In 2006,CanJet had let go 137 similar workers. They recalled some and wereback up to 44 flight attendants in 2010 when 27 of them were let go.The 18 laid off this week were what remained after the subsequentcuts.
CUPE is Canada's largest airline union, representing nearly 10,000flight attendants at both large and smaller air carriers including:Air Canada, Air Transat, CanJet, First Air, Cathay Pacific, CALM Air,Canadian North, Sunwing, and the ground agents at Porter Airlines inOttawa.
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