(Reuters) – Onex Corp-owned WestJet on Saturday said it had served notice of a 72-hour lockout to the union representing its maintenance engineers, the Fraternal Association of Aircraft Mechanics.
The company said a work stoppage could occur as early as Tuesday if an agreement is not reached with AMFA.
“Both sides are still negotiating in hopes of reaching an agreement before the lockout,” union President Bret Oestreich said in a statement.
Canadian Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said the government has received notice of WestJet’s lockout. In a post on social media platform X, O’Regan said: “Federal mediators are supporting the parties to reach an agreement at the negotiating table.”
The 72-hour outage notice does not mean there will be disruption to flights, WestJet said in a statement, adding that necessary steps will be taken to address the impact in the coming days.
WestJet said it will prepare for the reduced schedule, manage changes and cancellations and provide customers with flexibility to change and cancel flights.