E tū pushes back industrial action to 18 December
All strike notices at Air New Zealand on 8 December have been officially withdrawn, as the union has pushed back its industrial action to a week before Christmas Day.
E tū, which represents Air NZ's cabin crew, issued on Thursday a new strike notice for its short-haul cabin crew amid unresolved bargaining. The announcement comes after the union had secured a deal for the airline's turboprop and wide-body cabin crew.
The cabin crew strike was previously scheduled for 8 December, but the union said it was pushed back as a "gesture of good faith" so bargaining could continue.
"Short-haul crew are still without a fair deal. Their workloads and responsibilities are significant, and they deserve the same respect and progress as their colleagues. The reissued strike notice reflects that urgency," said E tū national secretary Rachel Mackintosh.
"Our preference is always to resolve bargaining at the table, but short-haul cannot be left behind. If we cannot reach agreement before 18 December, the strike will proceed."
Air NZ 'hopeful' for agreement
Air NZ chief people officer Nikki Dines said discussions with the union are "constructive and progressing well."
"We're hopeful we'll reach agreement and have all bargains in a position for our cabin crew to vote as soon as possible," Dines told HRD in a statement.
"At this stage, there is no change to our flight schedule and our focus remains on reaching agreement with E tū and avoiding strike action entirely."
E tū's strike notice re-issue comes after it reached an "in-principle" agreement with Air NZ for regional turboprop and wide-body cabin crew.
"Crew were very clear that clawbacks were unacceptable, and we've stopped most of them. We've also secured at least the Living Wage as the minimum base rate across those agreements," Mackintosh said.
Meanwhile, Air NZ said its teams are still working on what the December 18 strike could mean for its domestic jet, Tasman and Pacific schedules.
"If a strike does go ahead, some services will be affected, and we will contact customers directly if any changes to their travel are required," Dines said.
