Union of Canadian airline WestJet Airlines withdraws strike notice

(Reuters) – Canadian carrier WestJet Airlines said on Thursday it was working to resume normal operations after the maintenance engineers’ union withdrew its strike notice and both parties agreed to return to the negotiating table.

WestJet, which is funded by Onex Corp and competes with Air Canada, is facing demands from employees for better working conditions and higher salaries.

WestJet is now trying to resume normal operations after the airline announced on Wednesday that 40 flights would be cancelled between June 18 and 19, affecting 6,500 customers.

The parties appeared before the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to discuss the dispute between the airline and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) union.

The CIRB has stated that it will need more time and submissions from both parties before it can make a decision on the need for arbitration, WestJet said.

The union, which planned to begin the strike at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, has withdrawn its announcement, the company said.

“As we return to the negotiating table, we are committed to finding a solution to avoid further disruption to our operations,” said Diederik Pen, WestJet’s president and group chief operating officer, in a statement.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)