‘Yes’ vote great news

February 23, 2005

‘Yes’ vote great news

A new ballot of engineering workers at Air New Zealand’s Christchurch base is being welcomed by their colleagues in the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing.

“It will be a relief to the entire ANZES (Air New Zealand Engineering Services) workforce,” said EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

The Aviation and Marine Engineers’ Association’s Christchurch base, which last week rejected a plan that would save around 300 jobs but which will drastically change their working conditions, today voted to support the plan.

Mr Little said that this week had been difficult for every one concerned.

“People should not underestimate the intense pressure that everybody has been under this week,” he said.

“Anxiety and emotions have been running high, and were not helped by the company’s regrettable actions in offering a deal exclusively to Auckland engineers that compromised the future of the Christchurch base.

“There now needs to be a period of healing and reconciliation for the workforce, and we will be talking to the employer about an appropriate actions.”

Mr Little said that the importance of the actions and decisions of ANZES workers should not be under estimated.

“Standing back and looking at the result now, people should recognise what the ANZES workforce has done,” he said.

“Four months ago Air New Zealand announced that all wide-body maintenance would go. The members of both unions pulled out all the stops to turn that around, and have secured this important industry for the country.

“The ANZES workers have established their stake in the business and are determined that it will not be -taken off them.”

Mr Little said that the workers were grateful for the huge level of public support they had received.

ENDS

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