Baggage handling staff at Toronto International Airport may go on strike
Local spokesperson Christopher Monette, who was displeased with Swissport recently for employing temporary workers, said the union will ask its 700 members to vote against Swissport's final offer, CBCNews report said.
The strike could affect airlines including Air Transat, Air France, British Airways and KLM Royal Dutch.
However on Tuesday, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said it has a contingency plan in the case of a labour disruption by the Swissport workers.
A statement issued by the Teamsters Canada Local Union 419 last week said the temporary workers were inexperienced and received poor training.
Monette thought this move by Swissport was a method to replace the normal regular workers and said they were being forced into this strike.
Harjinder Badial, Vice President of Teamsters Local 419, said he was concerned about Swissport's willingness to sacrifice airport safety to gain an upper hand at the bargaining table.
Pierre Payette, Vice President of Operations Swissport Canada, said they had hired the temporary workers to help handle rush during the summer travel.
On the other hand, the union said a strike notice has been issued to its members and they will be in a legal strike position from Thursday at 9:30 pm.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
GTAA: Facebook photo
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