Strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants declared illegal

Toronto: The Canada Industrial Relations Board declared a strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants illegal Monday and ordered them back on the job after they ignored an earlier order to return to work and submit to arbitration.

The strike at Canada’s largest airline entered its third day on Monday and is affecting about 130,000 travellers per day during the peak summer travel season.

The two sides remain far apart on pay and other issues. Air Canada suspended plans to restart operations Sunday after the union defied a return-to-work order and said workers would not

go back to work.

“The members of the union’s bargaining unit are directed to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities,” the Canada Industrial Relations Board board, or CIRB, said in a written decision.agencies