More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants will continue their strike despite back-to-work orders from the Canadian government, the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said Sunday.

Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hajdu said on Friday that she met jointly with Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), urging both sides to work harder and remain at the negotiating table to reach a deal and avert a potential strike.

Air Canada wants to reinforce the gender wage gap by forcing Air Canada flight attendants – 70% of whom identify as women – to accept a wage offer less than one-third what Air Canada offered its pilots less than a year ago.