Members who work for NAV CANADA met September 29 and 30 to discuss the top priorities for their next collective agreement. It was PSAC’s first bargaining conference held entirely online.

Meeting in person was not possible due to the pandemic, therefore members held a virtual conference to debate resolutions and elect a new bargaining team. The meetings took place at a time when the entire airline industry faces COVID-19 challenges and financial uncertainty. NAV CANADA has had to make several layoffs in recent months as many flights are grounded and air travelers have stayed home.

Despite the pandemic-related difficulties the sector faces, members will still need, and deserve, a fair contract. The current collective agreement expires on December 31. Members discussed their top bargaining demands such as:

• Competitive wages
• Job security
• Improvements to leave provisions
• Teleworking

New bargaining team members elected

The members selected a new bargaining team. Bargaining team members are elected to represent the interests of PSAC’s 300 NAV CANADA members who work at various airports and locations across the country.

PSAC’s new NAV CANADA bargaining team members are:

• Suzanne Dupuis
• Michelle Webster
• Sadik Ahmad
• Marc Langlois

Also assigned to the team is PSAC-NCR Regional Executive Vice-President Alex Silas, PSAC negotiator Seth Sazant, and Regional Vice President for the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), Barry Tchir. Elected alternates are Annick Ladouceur, Michelle Timmerman and Joanne Marion.

Bargaining is expected to commence after the current collective agreement expires in 2021.