The workers in charge of refuelling planes at Montreal's Trudeau and Mirabel airports were ordered back to the negotiating table after they walked off the job on Tuesday. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

Montreal airport workers ordered to keep talking to avert strike

Negotiations to avert a strike by workers at Montreal’s Trudeau and Mirabel airports will continue.

The 108 employees in charge of refuelling planes walked off the job Tuesday morning.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered them back to the negotiating table Tuesday afternoon.

The workers, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, refuel as many as 500 planes a day at the two airports.

They say they average $16 per hour in wages and that their working conditions have been deteriorating since Swissport Canada took over their contracts in 2015.

They have been without a contract since March and voted overwhelming last weekend to strike.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered Montreal airport workers back to the negotiating table after they walked off the job on Tuesday morning. (YouTube)

“Whether it be temperatures of -30 or +30, in a snowstorm or in a thunderstorm, those who refuel the Montreal-Trudeau airplanes have to manipulate heavy equipment by themselves,” the union’s Quebec co-ordinator said in an open letter released on Tuesday, noting that the workers have had to deal with increased demands and a higher risk of accidents.

The workers were ordered back to the table after Swissport Canada filed a complaint with the CIRB, claiming the union did not negotiate in good faith.

The CIRB agreed with Swissport that the union did not bargain in good faith, but it did not revoke the employees’ right to strike,

For its part, the union said it will continue its strike.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, include refuellers, machinists, dispatchers, maintenance workers and mechanics. They say their average pay is $16 per hour and their jobs arfe getting more dangerous every year. (Valeria Cori-Manocchio/CBC)

In a statement to CBC News, Swissport Canada said it had launched a contingency plan in case of a strike.

The Montreal airport authority, Aeroports de Montréal, says it has been assured by Swissport Canada that the company has the necessary resources to continue to refuel planes.

The airport authority also says it is has been in contact with Montreal police to make sure the airports remain safe during a strike, if one occurs.

With files from CBC, CP, Global, CTV

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