The union president said he is willing to face jail time for defying a back-to-work order after the strike was deemed illegal by a federal tribunal.

Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 striking flight attendants will hold discussions on Monday night with a mediator, the union said in a statement.

A strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants has been deemed illegal, and workers ordered back on the job. The ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board comes after the flight attendants defied an earlier return-to-work order that also told them to submit to arbitration.