Some scheduled Air Canada flights out of Toronto’s Pearson Airport may be cancelled, the airline said as it recovers from delays caused by labour disruptions.
Air Canada is asking travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport on Saturday. Customers on affected flights, the airline said, can make alternate travel arrangements without penalty.
People trying to fly out of the airport saw their plans disrupted Friday, when approximately 100 flights were cancelled due to a protest by workers who are facing potential job losses when a refuelling contract changes hands in the fall.
In a tweet advising travellers there were no signs of further disruptions early Saturday, Toronto Pearson warned it was nevertheless “expected to be a busy recovery day after yesterday's cancellations.”
Before heading to the airport, travellers are being asked to check their flight status. No other airlines have indicated that they might cancel any flights.
Beginning Oct. 1, a number of airlines are switching their refuelling business to Service International Group in Toronto.
According to a union spokesperson, employees of Consolidated Aviation Fueling Services will be required to apply for similar positions with Service International. The workers, however, will likely be paid less and will not have a pension.
A release by the union says approximately 300 of its members in Toronto and Montreal will lose their jobs by October.
"Basically these guys are all going to lose their jobs Oct. 1, and so I think frustration is they key phrase," Bill Trbovich of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers told The Canadian Press.
He said workers currently earning between $18 and $23 per hour will likely start at minimum wage, up to a maximum of $14 per hour.
On Friday, 30 of 47 workers who were scheduled to work the morning shift called in sick, while other refused to work overtime.
Trbovich says 20 of 56 workers showed up for the afternoon shift.
The union representing the workers says it encouraged them to return to work.
"It's one of those cases of they took matters into their own hands," Trbovich said. "We sure as hell don't condone this but the airlines are the one that started this."
He added that bulletins were sent out explaining to workers that their job action was "unlawful" and there may have faced consequences had it continued.
With files from The Canadian Press
