Unions’ proposal will save Air NZ jobs

7 December, 2005

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Unions’ proposal will save Air NZ jobs

Consultants hired by the EPMU and Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA) have raised significant concerns about Air New Zealand’s proposal to send heavy engineering work overseas. They say the unions’ counterproposal can save the airline at least $12 million a year and still keep much of the work in New Zealand. Consultants Michael Stiassny and Brendon Gibson of Ferrier Hodgson have assisted the unions with the proposal. It was presented to airline managers by workers outside the Air New Zealand head office in downtown Auckland on Thursday. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

www.fixourplanesathome.com - Air NZ campaign website

A campaign website has also been launched to coincide with the joint union counterproposal for Air New Zealand. Wwwfixourplanesathome.com includes an online petition, one-click emailing to board of Air New Zealand and the Government and a way to send messages of support to the engineers affected. See www.fixourplanesathome.com for more.

Air NZ must seriously consider union proposal says CTU

The Council of Trade Unions is calling on Air New Zealand management to take seriously the union counter proposal on the future of 617 heavy maintenance engineers.   “We need to see the best outcome for New Zealand, and this decision is one that should not be rushed,” said Ross Wilson, CTU President.  “We are urging the company to take the proposal seriously, and to take time to properly consider it.  Government, as majority shareholder, also has a role to play in ensuring the board of Air New Zealand follows good process on this matter.” See www.union.org.nz for more.

National Can workers score “gold-plated deal”

Nearly 200 members at National Can are significantly better off after the ratification of a deal covering all three of the company’s sites and offering pay increases of between 4.3 per cent and 9 per cent for twelve months, and the Consumer Price Index plus one per cent next year. The deal took over nine months to negotiate and brings three different collective agreements together while ensuring good gains are made by every member covered by the change. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

Wanganui Chronicle workers walk out over lousy dealings

Workers at the APN-owned Wanganui Chronicle took lightening strike action last week after management withdrew an 18 month pay offer without notice. The editorial staff at the newspaper had been offered a choice of two deals, covering either 24 or eighteen months, but held back on making the decision until their fellow workers in the paper’s printing department were offered a deal covering the same period and keeping the two agreements in line. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

Angry CCN newspaper workers call indefinite strike

Capital Community Newspapers workers are on an indefinite strike that started last Friday after they were offered a two year deal that didn’t meet the cost of living. This is the sixth strike at Capital Community since negotiations broke down in August over the company’s refusal to offer a decent living wage rise. The company’s owner, Australian Provincial Newspapers, recently posted a six month after tax profit of over AUS$66 million - nearly half of which came from New Zealand publishing. Meanwhile many Capital Community workers are working for less than $11 an hour. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

Hawkes Bay Today out for three days

Twenty-nine members of the editorial staff at APN-owned Hawkes Bay Today began industrial action on Wednesday, planning to stay away from work for three days. On Thursday they picketed the office of the paper. Production and publishing staff at the company have given management a counterproposal of 4 per cent plus $600 over 18 months which the company have agreed to consider.

Electrocomms members attend select committee

EPMU president Don Pryde, electrocomms national industry coordinator Paul Graham and Taranaki-based Powerco delegate Gary Stockman have appeared before Parliament’s Commerce select committee to raise members concerns about the Energy Safety Review Bill. The Bill proposes changes to the licensing and registration of electricians. In particular, EPMU members are concerned about moves to loosen registration requirements and allow employers to be licenced on behalf of employees.

What happens if you are working Xmas or New Year?

This year the Christmas and New Year public holidays fall on a Sunday and Monday. The Holidays Act changed the way that these holidays are dealt with.  Previously when they fell on a weekend they were transferred to the following Monday or Tuesday. Now it depends. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

KFC workers take a stand against exploitative pay

Fast-food workers at Auckland’s Balmoral KFC took strike action last Friday in the first New Zealand strike ever organized exclusively by teenagers. The workers picketed outside the store for two hours, angry about the exploitation of youth in the fast-food industry, along with over 250 supporters. The action is the second in the www.supersizemypay.com campaign organized by Unite, which aims to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour immediately and get rid of the youth minimum wage. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

Kindergarten teachers strike

On Thursday 1650 kindergarten teachers belonging to the New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) struck over clawbacks in the negotiation of their collective agreement. Employers want the right to remove term breaks for kindergarten teachers, increase the amount of contact time from the current average of 24 hours a week to 35 hours a week, and allow erosion of the pay differential between head/senior teachers and other teachers in the kindergarten sector. The motion to strike received 97 per cent support. See www.nzei.org.nz for more.

Hamilton SkyCity workers email to pay parity

One hundred and twenty Service and Food Workers Union members at SkyCity casino in Hamilton have launched an email campaign to get their employer to give them pay parity with their Auckland co-workers. Currently there is a 25 per cent difference for the same work. The workers are also seeking an improvement in their employer’s current pay offer, just two per cent from a company that makes over $100m in profit each year. Run through the LabourStart website, anyone can send an email message directly to the managers of SkyCity in Hamilton. See www.labourstart.org for more.

Paid parental leave rises to 14 weeks

On Thursday 1 December last week, the legal minimum for paid parental leave rose to 14 weeks. The change means that New Zealand complies with the International Labour Organisation’s convention on maternity leave. See www.epmu.org.nz for more.

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Authorised: Andrew Little EPMU National Secretary

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