OTTAWA, April 6, 2017 /CNW/ - The federal government must invest in aviation workers to increase aviation safety for the public, says Unifor in a new submission to the federal Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
"You cannot have a safe and efficient air transportation industry that is staffed with McJobs," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "Employment security and safety go hand in hand."
Detailed recommendations and supporting research are contained in Unifor's written submission to the Committee, available at unifor.org/tran2017. Unifor says that many safety and security vulnerabilities can be traced to employers in the industry cutting corners on staffing levels and wages.
The submission reviews the growing precarity of airport workers employed "under the wing" and recommends limiting contract-flipping by service providers and establishing a $15 minimum wage airport-wide. Unifor's recommendations also address under-staffing of air traffic control inspectors and pilot fatigue.
"Nobody would ever admit to cutting corners on safety, but that's exactly what happens when we let corporations cheapen airport jobs," said Dias.
Unifor represents more than 12,000 members in the aviation sector working as air traffic controllers, flight attendants, pilots, baggage handlers, and customer service representatives. The union is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.
SOURCE Unifor
please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at [email protected] or 778-903-6549 (cell).
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