130 WestJet employees in Manitoba permanently laid off as airline switches to contractor

Advertisement

Advertise with us

An anticipated wave of layoffs from Canadian air carrier WestJet has hit workers in Manitoba as the company starts contracting out all customer service and ground handling duties in the province.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2021 (2027 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An anticipated wave of layoffs from Canadian air carrier WestJet has hit workers in Manitoba as the company starts contracting out all customer service and ground handling duties in the province.

In June, WestJet announced it was laying off 3,333 workers across the country due to the loss of business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it would consolidate its call centre in Alberta, and contract out its operations in all but four of its 38 domestic airports, leaving just Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.

A company called Airport Terminal Services has been contracted to provide services at the Winnipeg airport, while another company called Strategic Aviation will provide services at the airport in Brandon. The layoffs, which are permanent, will affect 110 workers in Winnipeg and 20 workers in Brandon and will take effect in the coming days.

WestJet kiosks at James Armstrong Richardson airport in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. Around 110 WestJet employees working in customer service and ground handling services will lose their jobs as the company shifts those jobs to contract workers. (Walther Bernal / CBC)
WestJet kiosks at James Armstrong Richardson airport in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. Around 110 WestJet employees working in customer service and ground handling services will lose their jobs as the company shifts those jobs to contract workers. (Walther Bernal / CBC)

To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here.

This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca.

History

Updated on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 3:51 PM CST: An earlier version of this story stated that 110 workers would be affected by the layoffs. In fact, 130 workers in total will be affected.

Report Error Submit a Tip