November 9, 2015
Manitoba Government Supports Quebec Appeal Court Decision on Air Canada
Manitoba welcomes an Appeal Court decision in Quebec that says Air Canada violated the Air Canada Public Participation Act (ACPPA) when it laid off thousands of unionized workers across Canada, including 400 in Winnipeg, in 2012, Premier Greg Selinger said today.
“Job losses don’t just hurt the person who loses their job, they hurt their entire family,” said Premier Selinger. “We continue to support industry to locate, stay and grow in Manitoba.”
In March 2012, Aveos, which provided maintenance services for Air Canada, locked out and then laid off roughly 2,400 unionized employees in three of its Canadian airframe maintenance centres including Winnipeg. The Court of Appeal of Quebec ruling against Air Canada made Nov. 3 upholds a previous court’s decision and Manitoba has supported Quebec in both cases.
“District Lodge 140 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is quite pleased with the ruling by the Court of Appeal of Quebec denying Air Canada’s appeal of the Air Canada Public Participation Act,” said Tony Didoshak, general chair, IAMAW District Lodge 140, which represents the affected Manitoban workers. “The IAMAW has always been about jobs and our members rights, we have never abandoned any of our membership and we have never given up the fight. As we move forward, the issue of remedy will be at the forefront of discussions between the provinces and our legal counsel.”
Passed in Parliament in April 1988, the ACPPA requires Air Canada to maintain operational and overhaul centres in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga.
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