By Olivia Gomm

The union representing Air Transat pilots has issued a 72-hour strike notice, saying that the pilots intend to go on strike on the morning of Dec. 10 unless progress is made at the bargaining table.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which represents Air Transat’s 700 pilots, says the strike could begin as early as 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The union says it filed the strike notice after failing to find common ground with the airline’s owner, Montreal-based Transat A.T. Inc., following nearly a year of negotiations.

“There is still time to avoid a strike but unless significant progress is made at the bargaining table, we will strike if that’s what it takes to achieve a modern contract,” Bradley Small, chair of ALPA’s Air Transat Master Executive Council, said in a Dec. 7 press release.

Transat says it will implement a gradual shutdown of Air Transat operations over the next three days in response to the union’s strike notice, noting that flight operations will be disrupted until an agreement is reached. Flight cancellations will begin on Dec. 8, with a full suspension by Dec. 9, Transat said in a Dec. 7 news release.

“Negotiations are ongoing, and our goal remains to reach an agreement so we can maintain our flights as much as possible and minimize disruptions for you,” Air Transat said in a Dec. 7 notice to its customers.

Travellers who are currently abroad and have booked an Air Transat return flight will be eligible for a refund or an alternative flight, including with another airline, within 48 hours of the original departure time if their flight is cancelled, the Air Transat notice says. The airline also says it will refund any unused portions of travellers’ trips.

Those who have booked an Air Transat departure flight are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport. Travellers whose flights are cancelled will be refunded by the airline, Air Transat says. Travellers are also able to cancel their trip ahead of time due to the strike action by filling out an online form.

Contract Negotiations

The ALPA union says that while no pilot wants a work stoppage, Air Transat management has left the union with “no choice.”

“Months of unproductive bargaining ends now,” Small said. “If we cannot reach an agreement, management will be responsible for every cancelled flight and stranded passenger.”

Meanwhile, Julie Lamontagne, human resources chief at Transat, called the strike notice “premature,” saying there has been progress made at the bargaining table, including “generous offers” made by Air Transat.

“We have demonstrated a serious commitment throughout the process and a sincere willingness to reach an agreement by proposing several compromises and improvements that address the pilots’ demands,” Lamontagne said in the travel company’s Dec. 7 news release, adding that ALPA “has shown no openness.”

Transat said Air Transat has offered its pilots a 59 percent salary increase over five years as well as “major improvements to pilots’ working conditions,” calling the union’s demands “unreasonable.”

The pilots voted last week 99 percent in favour of a strike if necessary, with 98 percent of eligible pilots voting. The 98 percent participation rate demonstrated “the depth of frustration” among Air Transat pilots, Small said in a Dec. 3 press release.

Contract negotiations between Air Transat pilots and the airline began in January. The parties left conciliation on Nov. 18 and entered a 21-day cooling-off period until Dec. 7. Thereafter, either the union can file a 72-hour strike notice or management can impose a lockout.

The union says it wants the new collective agreement to improve job security, working conditions, compensation, and quality of life.

ALPA, according to its website, is the world’s largest airline pilot union and represents more than 80,000 pilots at 42 airlines in Canada and the United States.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.