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Unifor affirme que Sunwing Airlines n’a pas fait tout ce qu’elle aurait pu pour pourvoir les postes vacants par l’embauche de pilotes permanents qui seraient couverts par la convention collective du syndicat. La compagnie aérienne a plutôt choisi de faire appel à des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires. Lisez les lettres que nous avons envoyées à Sunwing et au gouvernement canadien pour leur demander de cesser cette pratique.
Lettre d'Unifor à Len Corrado Président, Sunwing Airlines Inc.
Len Corrado
Président, Sunwing Airlines Inc.
Objet : Demande de Sunwing au Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires
Monsieur,
Comme vous le savez, nous avons appris que Sunwing Airlines Inc. a l’intention d’embaucher des pilotes de l’étranger dans le cadre du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires en attendant une étude d’impact positive sur le marché du travail réalisée par Emploi et Développement social Canada (EDSC).
Nous vous informons par la présente que nous ferons tout en notre pouvoir pour veiller à ce qu’aucune opinion positive ne soit émise.
Nous croyons que vous n’avez pas fait assez pour pourvoir les postes vacants par l’embauche de pilotes permanents qui seraient couverts par notre convention collective. Vous n’avez pas non plus cherché à combler les heures de travail en faisant le plus possible appel aux pilotes déjà embauchés en leur offrant, par exemple, de faire des heures supplémentaires.
Plus tôt cette année, Unifor a informé Sunwing du besoin imminent d’entamer le processus de recrutement afin d’avoir un nombre suffisant de candidates et candidats pour pourvoir les postes vacants pendant les mois d’hiver. Cette mesure prévoyante aurait donné à Sunwing suffisamment de temps pour embaucher et former des pilotes basés au Canada pour pourvoir les postes.
Au lieu de suivre notre conseil, vous avez fabriqué de toutes pièces votre propre pénurie de main-d’oeuvre et vous vous en servez comme d’un prétexte pour miner les
salaires et les conditions de travail de votre effectif actuel. Le procès-verbal de notre réunion du 20 juillet 2022 indique que Sunwing avait 800 candidates et candidats pour les postes de pilote à pourvoir. Pourtant, seulement 200 de ces candidates et candidats ont été interviewés. Et vous n’avez embauché que 148 d’entre eux. Comment est-ce possible que seulement 148 étaient qualifiés ou capables de le devenir en suivant une formation appropriée?
Au cours des derniers mois, mes collègues et moi avons à maintes reprises tenté de vous faire entendre raison, vous pressant d’élaborer un plan pour embaucher et former des pilotes qualifiés qui travailleraient sur une base permanente. Leur travail serait régi par notre convention collective, assurant ainsi l’équité et la stabilité pour tous les pilotes de Sunwing.
Nous ne croyons pas qu’il y ait au Canada une pénurie de pilotes capables ou désireux de faire le travail demandé par Sunwing.
Sunwing doit simplement être concurrentielle et donner une orientation sur l’avenir aux personnes qui ont présenté leur candidature. Certaines d’entre elles ont peut-être besoin de suivre une formation, mais cela ne devrait pas être un obstacle à l’embauche. Sunwing devrait plutôt tenir compte du nombre de pilotes disponibles dans les petites compagnies aériennes et embaucher en conséquence.
Cordialement,
Barret Armann
Président de la section locale 7378
Lettre d'Unifor à Steven West, Directeur, Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires Emploi et Développement social Canada
Steven West, Director
Temporary Foreign Worker Program,
Employment and Social Development Canada
Dear Mr. West,
Thank you for meeting with us on Oct. 3, 2022. As discussed in that meeting, we have gathered additional information we believe to be relevant to your investigation in to the Labour Market Impact Assessment provided by Sunwing Airlines Inc. as part of its application to hire pilots from abroad through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Employers applying to hire workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are required to prove they have exhausted their search to hire workers on a permanent basis who are qualified or capable of becoming qualified. They must prove there are not enough workers in Canada AND prove they have conducted an exhaustive search. We do not believe Sunwing has conducted an exhaustive search. For example:
- Minutes from our meeting with the company on July 20, 2022 show the company had received 800 applicants for the pilot positions and conducted 200 interviews. The company hired 148 of those who were interviewed.
- Searches of the Canada Job Bank on Oct. 3 and Oct. 6 this month revealed the company is not advertising the available jobs on the Canadian government’s Job Bank. Flair Airlines and PropAir both have advertisements posted on the website.
- Sunwing’s own website lists an ad for pilots at all five locations across Canada. The advertisement does not list the salary. It does, however, list the full job requirements with a minimum 2,000 hours total time fixed wing for a First Officer position and minimum 5,000 hours command time for a Direct Entry Captain position. These requirements are higher than what is required by the ad sent to pilots at Smart Wing, the company whose pilots first made us aware of Sunwing’s intention to hire pilots from abroad through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
- A LinkedIn search revealed one job ad for a pilot. The tag on the listing showed the location to be Quebec City, Que. Clicking on the ad revealed the ad was actually for multiple locations, but that was not obvious when scrolling the job ads. The job ad lists minimum hours for First Officers and Direct Entry Captains that are higher then the requirements advertised in the ad to hire workers through the TFWP at Smart Wing.
- Sunwing pilots are paid significantly more than many pilots in Canada. Once a Sunwing pilot has five years of seniority, they will make approximately $85,000 a year and have the opportunity to become a Captain, earning significantly more. Unifor agreements at smaller airlines show First Officers in year five of their work make between $35,000 and $75,000 a year. These pilots would require additional training to qualify for the Sunwing Aircraft, but there is no reason to believe they would not qualify with proper training.
- Prior to the pandemic, Sunwing Pilots were guaranteed 85 hours flying time per month. The company forced temporary concessions on the union during the pandemic guaranteeing only 75 hours of flying. Now, instead of moving back to 85 guaranteed hours, the company is trying to hire Temporary Foreign Workers when current pilots would love to return to the pre-COVID level of flying.
By not hiring and training pilots in advance of the busy travel season, Sunwing has manufactured its own labour shortage and is now taking advantage of the current labour market situation in order to undermine our collective agreement and the quality of work available in Canada. In addition to offering training to pilots capable of becoming qualified, permanent jobs could be offered to pilots from abroad who would become a part of the Canadian workforce benefiting from the collective agreement and the general protections offered most workers in Canada.
This current situation is reminiscent of the situation with Sunwing in 2013 when the company tried to hire pilots from abroad through the temporary foreign worker program while perfectly qualified pilots formerly based in Canada had to search for work elsewhere. At that time, unions argued that allowing Sunwing to hire pilots through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program instead of training pilots capable of qualifying for the work undermined competition and acted as a subsidy to Sunwing. The same is true today.
Point 16 of the Temporary Foreign Worker Application asks whether or not a labour dispute is in progress? At Sunwing two major disputes are currently underway and have been filed with the CIRB. In addition, the application states that for unionized positions an employer must:
- Advertise and offer the same wage rates as those established under the Collective Agreement.
- Offer the Temporary Foreign Workers the same terms and conditions as Canadian and permanent resident workers.
- Recommend that employers work actively with union representatives to recruit Canadians and permanent residents.
The conditions above have not been met. Sunwing Airlines Inc. is attempting to
circumnavigate unionized labour recruitment by using foreign pilots instead of having to improve labour relations and working conditions. Undermining Canada’s labour market and air transportation requirements appear to be more important than following the rules.
We ask you deny the application of the Temporary Foreign Worker applications based on the above information.
Thank you very much for considering this information. We would be happy to speak with you again to provide further clarification if needed.
Sincerely,
Barret Armann
President, Unifor Local 7378
