Redundancies at Christchurch Engine Centre

October 5, 2012

Joint Media Release

Redundancies at Christchurch Engine Centre

The Christchurch Engine Centre has announced to staff a proposal that could result in up to 40 redundancies.

The redundancies follow the company’s decision to exit one of its engine overhaul lines that has come to the end of its life cycle. The company’s bottom lines have also been hit in recent times by the overvalued New Zealand dollar.

EPMU assistant director of organising Strachan Crang says the proposed redundancies are a sign of the on-going jobs crisis.

“These are good jobs, on high rates of pay, involving skilled people doing very specialised work that brings in export dollars. It’s exactly the kind of work New Zealand needs to get ahead and it would be a real blow to see these jobs go.

“History shows that when we’ve lost skills like these we don’t get them back and it takes many years and a lot of investment to retrain replacements. Any redundancies here would only add to the emerging trades drain to Australia and beyond.”

Aviation and Marine Engineers Association national industrial organiser Penny Dillimore says the unions will now work together to protect jobs.

“We’re well aware of the competitive challenges facing the industry, and the management have been very open with us about the state of the business.

“Our primary focus is to make sure the right decisions are made to maintain the maximum number of jobs while ensuring the long-term viability of the company.

“We will now go into a consultation process to analyse the company’s revised structure and hopefully come back within four weeks with our response.”

The Christchurch Engine Centre is a partnership between Pratt & Whitney and Air New Zealand and services aircraft engines from around the world from its base at Christchurch International Airport.

ENDS

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