NDP Member of Parliament for Victoria Laurel Collins stood up for workers in the House of Commons this week, speaking on behalf of the 27 Screening Officers at Victoria Airport who were unjustly terminated. She stated the Liberal are dropping the ball when it comes to protecting workers. She received an immediate response from Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, who promised to look at the issue immediately.
On February 6 and 7, 2024, twenty-seven IAMAW Pre-Board Screening Officers at the Victoria International Airport, along with nine salaried employees were terminated by the third-party screening contractor – Allied Universal Security Services (AUS) following a directive from CATSA to remove the employees from the workplace.
The sub-contractor intended to return the affected employees to work with a corrective action plan which included training, after determining that their conduct, while it deviated from the Standard Operating Procedures, did not give rise to grounds for termination.
Despite the subcontractor’s intention to return the affected employees with a corrective action plan, CATSA intervened in the decision-making process, directing the immediate removal of all twenty-seven (27) Screening Officers and nine (9) salaried employees without conducting its own investigation.
Tania Canniff, IAMAW District Lodge 140 General Chairperson, expressed deep concern over the lack of procedural fairness, stating, “Twenty-seven families have lost their ability to earn a living without an appeal, and that is shameful. We need immediate intervention! We need the Transport Ministers office to intervene; reverse CATSA’s course of action and allow for the subcontractor to manage their employees accordingly. This would restore due process and allow our members to feel secure in their jobs.
