“Almost 10,000 WestJet Careers Remain In Limbo, With Only 4,800 Employees Remaining On Staff..."

Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) Canada, issued the following statement following more than 400 additional pilot layoffs at WestJet Airlines, as uncertainty remains at other major carriers including Air Transat .

“Canada's aviation sector is a critical part of Canada's economy that facilitates both local and international commerce, plays an instrumental role in tourism, and ensures the free movement of people and cargo throughout our vast and diverse country and around the world. Before COVID-19, the industry employed more than 141,000 Canadians with an economic footprint of $ 50 billion, which supported millions of other good jobs — and families — throughout the country.

“Unfortunately, the government continues in its failure to respond adequately to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on Canada's aviation sector. As the government continues to procrastinate, the industry grows more vulnerable with every passing day, and jobs continue to disappear.

“Almost 10,000 WestJet careers remain in limbo, with only 4,800 employees remaining on staff, compared to the 14,000 employed just 12 months ago. More than 400 additional layoffs, including my own, took effect today.

“ALPA Canada also represents the pilots of Air Transat, where the employment status of nearly 5,000 highly skilled workers remains unknown. In addition to failing to mitigate the fallout from the pandemic, our government spent 18 months deliberating over the pending sale of this airline to another industry competitor, which only added more uncertainty.

“ALPA's position to the government on how to help the industry weather the storm has, since the beginning of the pandemic, remained consistent — work with us to fully assess solutions to ensure a strong, stable industry, before it's too late.

“With the federal budget less than three weeks away, we will continue to promote our many articulate and science-based recommendations, and we strongly encourage the government to ensure labor groups, such as ALPA Canada, are part of discussions regarding the implementation of an aviation-specific financial assistance program that provides direct support to airlines that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any financial assistance for the industry that does not support employees would be considered a failure of this government. ”

FMI: www.alpa.org