The voice of Canada’s airports.
Thursday, December 7, 2006 -
Bill C-257 Threatens to Shut Down
Canada’s Airports,
Industry Warns
Airports urge lawmakers to defeat Bill C-257
OTTAWA (Dec. 7, 2006) – The Canadian
Airports Council today warned the House of Commons Human Resources committee
that Bill C-257, An Act to Amend the Canada Labour Code (Replacement Workers),
if passed, could shut down some or all of Canada’s airports in the event of a
strike or lock-out.
“Canada’s airports are essential
components of Canadian infrastructure.To the communities they serve, and indeed to the nation, Canada’s
airports play a vital economic and social role.They also play an important part in the continued health and security of
our nation,” said CAC President and CEO Jim Facette. “Unfortunately if Bill
C-257 becomes law, the continued operation of our airports during a strike
action would be threatened.Under C-257
labour rules, one or a group of airports could be forced to cease operations in
the event of a strike.”
Canada's airports
contend that Canada
does not need Bill C-257 since there have been restrictions on the use of
replacement workers for nearly seven years and the Canada Industrial Relations
Board (CIRB) has not issued a single decision involving the actual use of
replacement workers.
If passed into law and applicable to airports as proposed, in the event of a strike airports would not be able to use management staff or replacement workers for even the most essential of tasks.The ban on replacement workers also would negatively impact the ability of Canada's airports to meet their federal regulatory safety and security requirements – an untenable situation, Canada’s airports say.
Mr. Facette noted that a strike by the
employee bargaining unit that provides snow removal services or aircraft
de-icing could paralyze airport operations altogether during in the
winter.A strike by commissionaires, security
screeners or other groups who provide essential security-related duties, also
could require an airport to cease operations if management or replacement
workers cannot be used to carry out these functions.
Even a strike by non-safety or security
labour groups could lead to a halt of most airport operations. Since some
service providers are located throughout the country, a strike or lock-out
could result in the shut-down for the entire aviation system in Canada
under Bill C-257.
The CAC also was critical of the speed with
which Bill C-257 is being handled by the committee, with only two days of
public consultation and many other organizations being denied the opportunity
to provide their comments on the bill.
“It is unfortunate that this bill is being
rammed through Parliament and without sufficient public consultation” said Mr.
Facette.“Such an important piece of
legislation deserves more thorough parliamentary consideration.”
About
the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is the voice for Canada’s airports.Its 45 members encompass more than 150 airports, including all of the National Airports System (NAS) airports and most significant municipal airports in every province and territory. Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation’s air cargo and international passenger traffic and 95% of domestic passenger traffic.They create well in excess of $30 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve.And more than 150,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually.
- 30 -