Tourism Industry Upset by Threatened Action by Air Canada Pilots
MONTREAL (CP) -- The Canadian tourism industry is upset by threatened job action by Air Canada pilots that could delay flights at the start of the summer travel season.
Randy Williams, president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, said Monday the timing couldn't be worse for an internal feud to break into the open between members of the Air Canada Pilots Association.
''It's certainly troublesome for the industry,'' said Williams.
''We're just starting to see a turnaround and this is obviously tourism's peak season where 40 per cent of travel over the year happens.''
Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said Monday that there has been no impact on operations.
A long-simmering feud between Air Canada pilots broke out again after their union membership earlier this month voted down by 54 per cent a labour agreement clause required for Air Canada's plan to buy $6-billion worth of new Boeing aircraft.
The purchase has to be vetted by the pilots because it involves new aircraft models.
Air Canada's chief operating officer said in an internal letter to the company's 3,000 unionized pilots during the weekend that he's concerned about job action by those belonging to the so-called Original Air Canada group, those pilots who worked at the airline before it took over Canadian Airlines in 2000.
Rob Reid warned in his letter that a group of disgruntled pilots has called on other pilots to slow down the company's operations through tactics like calling in sick.
Air Canada took the internal union dispute issue to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board late Friday.
A spokesman for the federal agency said Monday the board is investigating the issue on an expedited basis but she was unable to say how long it would take.
Air Canada's pilots broke away from the North American-wide Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) in 1995. ALPA still represents most other pilots in Canada including the 1,362 who work for Air Canada's regional division Jazz.
