Sunwing pilots are celebrating news of the company’s decision to abandon its intention to use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to boost staffing levels.
Unifor, a labor union representing Canada’s aviation sector, had raised concerns about Sunwing’s proposal to hire temporary foreign workers to address the country’s pilot shortage in preparation for the winter travel surge.
“Our main concern from the get-go was training and safety,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “As a union, we expect rigorous analysis before an employer is allowed to use the TFWP. We’re pleased that Sunwing chose to back away from using TFWP and honor our collective agreement.”
Unifor launched a public campaign after it learned of potential safety issues from hiring pilots from countries with less rigorous training requirements. In mid-October, the union sent letters to Sunwing President Len Corrado and Steven West, the director of the federal government’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program overseen by Employment and Social Development Canada.
Those letters said Sunwing Airlines needed to do more to fill open positions by hiring permanent pilots within Canada. The union recommended that West deny the airline’s temporary foreign worker applications.