By Press Release | April 9, 2020 Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 39 seconds.
In a video announcement published on Wednesday evening, WestJet’s chief executive officer Ed Sims said the airline will be bringing nearly 6,400 employees back on the payroll through Canada’s Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program.
Near the end of March, WestJet announced it would be laying off roughly 6,900 employees as the airline felt the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting economic hit.
According to Sims, the carrier held “substantial” discussions with the federal government, which led to the decision to apply for the wage subsidy program allowing for the re-hiring of some 6,400 employees.
Though the company plans to re-introduce these employees to the payroll, Sims cautioned that there may not be enough work for everyone at the company while the pandemic is ongoing.
“But it will help them make ends meet,” he said. “I am grateful for the hard work of the government of Canada and of all governments across Canada to provide businesses like ours the tools to continue operating through these most challenging of times.”
In the federal government’s proposed wage subsidy program, workers will be paid 75 per cent of their normal hourly wages, up to $847 a week.
WestJet’s announcement followed Air Canada’s statement made earlier on the same day, in which the latter airline said it also planned to apply for the CEWS — leading many to believe it will be rehiring the roughly 16,500 employees it laid off at the end of March.
In WestJet’s announcement, published across the carrier’s social channels, Sims said the company will continue to serve the 38 Canadian cities it currently flies to, though most could see fewer flights.
“We will not be grounding this airline unless specifically instructed to by the governments,” Sims said. “The aviation industry will play a primary role in kickstarting the strong recovery of the Canadian economy.”
As for when WestJet employees can expect to be brought back to work, Sims didn’t offer up a timeline, but said “we will be communicating with those WestJetters who are affected by this decision as soon as we can.”
My husband and are 72 years old stuck in Dominican Republic in the punta cana area. We have a cat and we have to be out of here by may 15 because of heat restriction . If it is not possible because of this virus we would have to take cat inside the plane. We hope there is some flexibility at this time. We are booking for may 5th .Can you please let me know if there hope
Regards Heather Moroz
Hello Heather, we at Skies Magazine are unable to answer this question for you. Here is the number to call WestJet from the Dominican Republic: 1-800-148-5344. You can also call 1-403-444-2446. Good luck.