The road entrance to St. John's International Airport is shown on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. The fate of the St. John's International Airport is being decided in 24-hour chunks as talks continue to solve a labour dispute between management and the facility's firefighters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
Republished January 20, 2022 - 3:03 PM
Original Publication Date January 20, 2022 - 9:31 AM
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Officials at the St. John's International Airport Authority say they've reached an agreement with the facility's firefighters to end staffing shortages and flight cancellations.
A news release from the authority Thursday evening says days of talks between management and the union representing the airport's firefighters have reached a successful conclusion and normal airport operations will resume.
The parties had been working with a federal mediator to resolve the situation.
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees has said its members faced harassment, intimidation and a "toxic workplace," which prompted some to take time off on the advice of their doctors.
Many flights were cancelled Tuesday night and into Wednesday when there weren't enough firefighters working to meet regulations, and the facility has since been running on day-by-day agreements to maintain minimum staffing at the fire hall.
A spokeswoman from the airport authority said today management has reached an agreement with the union to ensure the disruptions don't happen again and the airport can return to normal operations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2022.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2022