Don’t be rash, unions tell Air NZ

February 20, 2006

Don’t be rash, unions tell Air NZ

Air New Zealand’s apparent determination to go ahead with contracting out engineering work is rash and uncalled for, say the workers’ unions.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that statements by the airline that it “had” to push ahead with contracting out more than 500 jobs now that a counter-plan had failed to win the necessary level of support from workers was rubbish.

“What this company should be doing it working with the unions to address the concerns that saw the current proposal rejected by the narrowest margin,” he said.

“Today’s ballot result shows that there is widespread support for the type of proposal put up across Air New Zealand Engineering Services. What we should be doing now is working together to find a solution that meets the airline’s needs and addresses the concerns of workers.”

Mr Little said that the unions continued to have significant concerns about the business case behind the Air New Zealand contracting proposal.

“They have made some assumptions that frankly don’t stack up,” he said.

Mr Little said comments by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, that the parties should continue talking were welcome.

“As the largest shareholder, the Government has a role to play, and we are taking this up with them.”

ENDS

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