EXCLUSIVE-Air Canada and striking union are holding discussions Monday night, source says

By Allison Lampert

Aug 18 (Reuters) - Air Canada AC.TO and its union representing 10,000 flight attendants are holding discussions on Monday night with a mediator, a source familiar with the matter said.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the flight attendants, had continued to strike even after the Canada Industrial Relations Board declared it unlawful.

Air Canada's unionized flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday after contract talks with the carrier failed, in a move that disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

On Monday, Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu urged both parties to return to the negotiating table and reach a collective agreement for workers as soon as possible.