More than half the current workforce of Air Transat flight attendants were notified last week that they will be temporarily laid off, says the
In addition to furloughing 128 Air Transat cabin crew, the airline told workers its
CUPE says last week's layoffs leave only 117 flight attendants working for the month of November, down from 245 in October, 355 in August and 2,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While no flight attendants have been permanently let go, the company is processing "a number of temporary layoffs,"
Hennebelle says the company cannot confirm total numbers before everyone has been informed, but that 128 flight attendants were told of the change last week.
In total, the airline said it now has about 1,700 active employees, down from 5,100 before the pandemic.
The airline attributed the decision to a lack of improving prospects for the industry amid Canada’s border closures and a dearth of support programs for airlines.
Transat is not the only company struggling.
For Transat, the latest wave of temporary layoffs comes after all flight attendants were furloughed
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been adjusting our staff levels to our forecasted capacity, sometimes calling employees back to work and sometimes unfortunately putting them on temporary layoff,” said Hennebelle.
The union says aviation workers will be holding a protest at
""All of our information indicates that Air Transat's resumption of activities in the summer and fall of 2020 was totally safe for passengers and staff. A rapid screening system that provides pre-boarding results would be a crucial addition for reviving the airline industry," says
"What we need is an efficient federal screening program."
This report by
— With files from
Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)
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