St. John’s International Airport continues to operate today as it tries to find a permanent solution to the dispute with is firefighters. They can meet the regulatory requirements as set down by Transport Canada until 8:00 Saturday morning as it currently stands.
St. John’s International Airport advises that normal operations are now extended until at least 8am Sat, Jan 22nd. We continue to work diligently through the mediation process to resolve current issues. We are committed to find a way to maintain continuous Airport operations.
— St. John's Airport (@stjohnsairport) January 20, 2022
The parties are still at the table and they continue to work with the Federal Mediator to resolve the dispute. In the meantime, they have agreed to extend operations at St. John’s Airport another 24 hours.
— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) January 20, 2022
Earlier Story
The St. John’s International Airport Authority says its top priority is to prevent another disruption in services as a labour dispute involving the airport’s emergency services continues.
Larger commercial passenger aircraft were unable to land at YYT last night because of staffing issues at the airport’s fire department.
Flights will resume this evening after marathon discussions with the help of a mediator, but the solution is a temporary one.
St. John’s International Airport Authority CEO Peter Avery says for the time being the airport is “fully-operational”, and the firehall is currently staffed to meet regulatory requirements.
Those employees are currently working a 24-hour shift, which is scheduled to end at 8:00 a.m. Thursday. At that time, additional resources will need to be secured.
Avery says nine firefighters are on staff, with seven unable to work at this time. He says the Airport Authority has been working closely with Transport Canada to ensure the permanent re-opening of the airport by attempting to source additional firefighting resources locally, nationally and internationally.
He believes those resources are available immediately, and is calling on the union at all levels to provide the necessary support in order to help bring a quick resolution to the situation.
Discussions with the union are ongoing.
As for what happens Thursday morning, Avery says that is “unknown” at this time, and depends on the ability to secure qualified firefighters to replace the ones currently working.
Regarding the ongoing investigation surrounding allegations of workplace harassment, Avery says the Airport Authority does not tolerate an unsafe work environment, and the well-being of employees is taken seriously.
He says the Airport Authority is aware of the impact the disruption has on local travelers, adding that this is not something the public should be dealing with right now, especially in the midst of the ongoing Omicron outbreak.
Airport Authority Attempting to ‘Lay Blame’, Says Union
The union that represents firefighters at St. John’s International Airport is firing back against comments made to the media by the Airport Authority on Wednesday.
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees says by releasing a statement while mediation is ongoing the airport is is trying to “lay blame” – both on people who they say are victims of harassment, and against the union itself.
They say the issues at St. John’s international are not new, and the airport is not taking responsibility for the “years of abuse” that it helped perpetuate by its lack of action.
They allege that after a “lengthy investigation,” the allegations of bullying and abuse were founded.
The union states that instead of taking steps to address the issue, the airport did the “bare minimum.”
Further, they say the airport has yet to address the results of the investigation with the impacted firefighters.
The union maintains that they want to see the issue resolved for its members and the community at large, and their priority is to work with the federal mediator and stay at the table as long as necessary to resolve the issues.
