Sunwing Airlines' pilot union has staunchly opposed the airline management’s decision to hire foreign pilots to meet the rising passenger demand ahead of the winter schedule. The union has urged the Canadian government to intervene in the matter. Barret Armann, President of the union, said: "The plan to hire non-Canadian pilots is a punch in the face. The Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan needs to step in and stop this."
The union's opposition became obvious after Sunwing applied with the government to bring in 65 foreign pilots this winter as temporary foreign workers to avoid a labour crunch in days ahead.
It is still unclear if the Sunwing management has started a formal process to hire foreign pilots, there was no official comment from the Sunwing management regarding this matter.
Going ahead, the pilot union has also pointed out that Air Canada, one of the biggest airlines in Canada, has not put in a request to hire foreign pilots and that there is no dearth of pilots in the country.
Sunwing has been facing workforce shortage issues as the passenger traffic resuming in full force post-pandemic. The airline faced problems of flight delays and cancellations in summer adding to passenger woes. Like other competitor airlines, Sunwing is facing a challenge to appoint staff for the smooth running of operations.
Canadian airlines are expecting to make the most of the pandemic recovery with a busy Christmas season and the easing of pandemic restrictions by the government. Meanwhile, Sunwing pins its hopes on sorting the differences with the pilot union to avoid strikes or walk-outs causing further complications.