Zeal mediation continues

14 April, 2009

Mediation with Air NZ over the Zeal 320 dispute has continued over the last week after the airline reacted to the industrial action by cancelling a Christchurch to Sydney flight.

The cancellation came as a result of the company suspending members for refusing to take off their wigs.

EPMU national aviation organiser Strachan Crang says the cancellation was typical of the airline's behaviour.

"The company's action was a complete over-reaction to legal low-level industrial action. It's a petty attitude has plagued the negotiations for six months."

"Instead of focusing on the issues at the table the company has spent its energies hassling and threatening members," says Crang.

"They've pretty much thrown everything at us including threatening individual members with legal action and costs, threatening to suspend them, contacting them directly on their days off and threatening to outsource their jobs."

"To their credit the members have stood strong together and not buckled under considerable pressure," he says, "instead they've put the pressure back on the company to negotiate."

"Members are proud to wear the Air New Zealand uniform but are also determined to get fair pay and conditions. The company needs to understand how strong that determination is."

Mediation will continue this week.

A factsheet outlining the dispute is available here.