Public Benefit Demands Job Guarantees

The Council of Trade Unions has called for Air NZ to guarantee the jobs it says will arise from a merger with Qantas to address the public benefit issue.

“The CTU has called for job guarantees previously and repeated that call in the CTU submission on the merger,” said CTU secretary Paul Goulter following the Commerce Commission’s rejection of the proposed merger today.

Paul Goulter said guaranteeing the jobs that Air NZ claims would flow from the merger was clearly in the public benefit. These jobs include jobs in engineering and in Auckland and in Christchurch.

He said the CTU was mindful of the interest of workers as users of public transport and workers employed by firms which used air transport for trade.

“The Commerce Commission has recognised the competition issues and these need to be weighted against he strategic advantages of a merger,” he said.

Paul Goulter said that in terms of good faith the unions involved expected to be consulted in any plans to sell parts of the business or adjust the business in ways which could affect workers, as a result of an Air NZ/Qantas trying to gain final approval.

He said, in view of the Commerce Commission position, that unions also needed to need to know what 'Plan B' is.

“The CTU has asked for this information before and have been told – “there is no ‘Plan B’ ”, he said.

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