AIR New Zealand has avoided strike action that would have hit the carrier over the peak Christmas period, agreeing to a deal with unions representing engineering and logistics workers.
The deal was secured late last night after three days of negotiations, resulting in the lifting of strike notices which would have impacted up to 120,000 travellers over the three busiest days of the year (TD 07 Dec).
Air New Zealand Chief Ground Operations Officer Carrie Hurihanganui said customers could now be reassured holiday travel plans were secure.
“We know how important it is to our customers to get where they need to be, particularly at this special time of the year, and the negotiating teams have been working diligently to achieve this result,” she said.
New Zealand’s E Tu union said details of the agreement had not been made public while members were consulted.
“Industrial action of this nature is always a last resort and so it’s a positive sign that we’ve reached an agreement in principle,” said an E Tu spokesman.
“We will be recommending the deal to members at ratification meetings over the coming week — then it’s up to the members to discuss and vote on the company offer,” he said.
Source: traveldaily