Chorus Aviation Inc. has laid off about 100 employees at its maintenance site in Halifax, according to Unifor Local 2002, the union that represents some of the company’s workforce.
Task losses are a component of Chorus’s drastic cuts across the country that will affect approximately 65% of its staff, or only about 3,200 employees.The layoffs were announced earlier this year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought great relief in air travel.
A spokesman for Halifax-based company, which leases planes to regional airlines, said discounts for staff were slow and some took effect last week.The employees who lost their jobs were put in the post a few months ago.
Unifor spokeswoman Euila Leonard said layoffs are all engineers operating at Halifax Stanfield International Airport for Jazz Aviation, which operates through Chorus.
Leonard claimed that there were historically approximately 350 maintenance workers at the Halifax site.
“Work is progressing at Halifax and, as things begin to replace in the area, I anticipate a return to pre-COVID staff titles with Jazz Maintenance Group,” he said.
Leonard says this is a difficult time for all aviation personnel as restrictions continue.
“We may see this industry recovering, [but] it’s up to the government to worry and provide assistance so the public knows it needs to travel,” he said.”We’ll have to open our borders as soon as possible.”
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