(MENAFN) According to reports, around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants refused on Monday to comply with a back-to-work order issued by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), with their union leader pledging to face jail if necessary.

The CIRB declared the ongoing strike illegal, while Air Canada stated that roughly 700 flights per day are being canceled, affecting about 500,000 passengers. The board directed the attendants to return to work immediately, but the order was met with resistance despite potential fines and jail time.

"We will not be returning to the skies this afternoon," Mark Hancock, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the striking workers, said at a news conference, according to reports.

The dispute centers on demands for higher pay and a revised payment system prior to flights taking off.

"If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it," Hancock added. He criticized Air Canada and the CIRB for interfering with the collective bargaining process.

“None of us want to be in defiance of the law," he said. "We're looking for a solution here. Our members want a solution here. But that solution has to be found at a bargaining table."

Prime Minister Mark Carney called for fair compensation for the flight attendants and urged a swift resolution to the dispute. The strike began on Saturday, according to reports.

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