WestJet Airlines' aircraft maintenance engineers start strike (updated)

Onex

29/06/2024 02:53

(Adds details in paragraph 2 onwards)
       June 28 (Reuters) - Aircraft maintenance engineers and
other technical operations employees at Canada's WestJet
Airlines went on strike at 7:30 p.m. ET (2330 GMT) on Friday,
the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) said.
    The union representing WestJet's maintenance engineers and
other technical operations employees served a strike notice on
June 18 after 97% of them voted to reject a tentative pay deal
reached in May. 
    On June 20, the union withdrew the strike notice and
returned to the bargaining table. However, after failing to
reach a deal, they served a second strike notice, effective June
28, ahead of the Canada Day long weekend on July 1.
    WestJet expressed outrage at the strike and said it "will
hold AMFA 100% accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs
incurred as a result". 
    WestJet, which is backed by Onex Corp  ONEX.TO  and competes
with Air Canada  AC.TO , said severe travel disruption is to be
expected if the strike is not called off immediately.

 (Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina and Aatreyee Dasgupta in
Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid, William Mallard and Himani
Sarkar)
 ((Nilutpal.Timsina@thomsonreuters.com ; +91 86382 04706;))