Sunwing Airlines has responded to a complaint filed by its unionized pilots at the Canada Industrial Relations Board, stating "the complaint is without merit, out of time and will be vigorously defended."
The Unifor Local 7378 complaint alleges Sunwing bargained in bad faith during last year's labour negotiations, claiming the employer already knew the company was being sold to WestJet. The union says it would have approached bargaining differently had it known about the potential sale.
In a statement sent to TravelPulse Canada, Sunwing Airlines says: "The union's claim that Sunwing was sold to WestJet shortly after a renewal collective agreement was signed with its pilots in early 2021 is not true.
"Sunwing and the union reached a tentative agreement in bargaining on January 23, 2021 which was fair and reasonable. The renewal collective agreement was ratified by an overwhelming percentage of the union members voting on February 12, 2021."
Sunwing adds: "More than one year later, on March 2, 2022, WestJet announced an agreement under which the WestJet Group of Companies would acquire Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines. The proposed transaction remains conditional upon regulatory approval."
The company says it "values all of its employees, who are integral to helping make our customers' vacation dreams come true."
The statement concludes: "Our pilots are vital to our operations. Sunwing Airlines will continue to promote positive labour relations in good faith as more of our customers return to travel and we continue to rebound from the pandemic.
Topics From This Article to Explore
