The union that represents the airport evaluators in Calgary reports that its members have reached a “breakup point”, which leads to the federal authority that supervises the security evaluation to weigh that their concerns should be taken seriously.
The detection officers working at Calgary International Airport, represented by Unifor Local 2002, have filed thousands of complaints in the last 17 months, said Harold Bateman, assistant to the president of the Union. Their complaints have affirmed that the breaks were delayed for hours or denied completely during a complete shift, and that access to bathrooms and drinking water was rejected.
In a letter to the Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority (Catsa) on August 30, 2025, Bateman said that the problems surrounding the basic needs of workers at work that are not met have persisted since the security services of the Paladin airport assumed the security services contract at the Calgary airport on April 1, 2024. The problem has continued even after the workers were recovered outside the airport Last summer to protest against poor working conditions.
“The membership is at a point of rupture,” said Bateman, whose union represents 1,022 members used by Paladin.
“It is clear to me that the company does not have a plan that is working. And the union has decided that we must take it further and ensure that the government body, Catsa, is aware of this.”
The Unifor letter requested an urgent meeting with Catsa to discuss the problems of its members with Paladin.
In an answer on Friday, Catsa said that Paladin is clear that union’s concerns should be treated with “the greatest seriousness.”
“Catsa expects all contractors to comply with the legislation and applicable agreements that govern working conditions,” said the federal authority’s response. “Catsa is confident that Paladin can work with Unifor to reach a resolution.”
‘Unacceptable’ working conditions
Detection officers move passengers through the airport security line. They greet travelers, scan their boarding pass, operate X -ray machines and metal detectors, and look through luggage that needs inspection.
Airports need a certain number of evaluation officers to operate security lines, and if they are without even taking into account an officer, the line must be closed. Problems arise, said Bateman, when workers cannot leave the line for hours.
While working conditions get worse during the maximum travel periods, Bateman said that workers who are denied basic needs have become a daily problem.
“It is 2025, and telling these workers who cannot have access to water while in the line, and that cannot have access to a bathroom, and their breaks will be delayed or not managed to be completely unacceptable,” Bateman said.
The resulting tension in workers, he added, has led to detection officers being placed in humiliating situations such as self -dirt while they are in turn. In other cases, officers with medical conditions such as diabetes have low blood sugar level and cannot do anything about it.
There is no clear way forward
After a meeting on Thursday between Unifor and Paladin, the union said it is doubtful that Paladin intends to address any of these problems in the workplace.
In response to union concerns, Paladin said in a statement to CBC News on Friday that the well -being of its employees is “of the utmost importance for our organization.”
“Our priority is to ensure that employees receive all the required breaks while providing a professional and effective security evaluation for passengers and their belongings. We are committed to our corporate culture and providing a safe and positive work environment for our employees,” said Paladin’s statement.
Catsa announced at the end of 2023 that Paladin would be responsible for providing detection services in the airports of the Praderas region, including Calgary, with a contract that is worth up to approximately $ 1 billion for five years. The contract is renewable for two periods of five years at the discretion of Catsa.
Garda World, the previous contractor at Calgary airport against Paladin, managed the same number of employees, Bateman said, but lost and delayed breaks during that time were minimal. Bateman added that he does not know the detection officers who work under a different contractor than Paladin in other parts of the country that deal with the same problems.
“For some reason, the employer cannot overcome this, he cannot solve this problem,” Bateman said.
