Sunwing union opposes Canadian airline's plans to hire foreign pilots

The Sunwing Airlines pilots union said it is calling on the Canadian government to halt a plan to hire foreign pilots to help the Ontario-based leisure airline cope with an expected surge in holiday travel this winter.

The use of foreign pilots is a sensitive issue for unions in Canada and the United States as the aviation industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. These unions want airlines to do more to hire pilots from their home countries despite complaints of pilot shortages. "This is a punch in the face," Barret Armann, president of the union representing Sunwing pilots, said of the plan to hire non-Canadian pilots, adding that Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan "needs to step in and stop this." Sunwing will apply to the government this winter to bring in 65 pilots as temporary foreign workers, according to a local memo sent to pilots by the Unifor union, citing a meeting with airline management last week. Sunwing is in the process of being acquired by WestJet Airlines, Canada's second-largest airline owned by private equity firm Onex Corp. It was not clear whether Sunwing has started a formal process to hire foreign pilots. Sunwing did not respond to requests for comment. A job posting by Czech airline SmartWings stated that "foreign pilots will indeed work under our contract (in Canada) but will be paid more than 75% of our pilots," the memo said. The note stated that Sunwing had pilots available in Canada. Holiday air travel is expected to boom after a decline in the last two years due to the pandemic. With Canada expected to further ease COVID-19 travel restrictions, Canadian airlines are preparing for a busy Christmas season. Carriers in the United States and Canada have grounded thousands of flights this summer as a recovery in travel demand has met a labor shortage. The use of pilots as temporary foreign workers is rare compared to other industries. In the first half of 2022, Canadian employers were allowed to fill 32 pilot positions with temporary foreign workers, according to government data. In contrast, 48,485 temporary agricultural workers were authorized in the same period. This month, O'Regan met with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which has a separate complaint about Unifor and Sunwing hiring foreigners. A spokesperson for O'Regan said it was up to the employer to meet the requirements for bringing in temporary foreign workers. Air Canada's CEO said pilots are not a problem for the country's largest airline. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!