Aircraft Workers Plan Union

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31983, 9 May 1969, Page 1

Aircraft Workers Plan Union

Aircraft workers at Christchurch Airport may set up a union of their own with aircraft workers in Auckland.

More than 100 aircraft engineers at a meeting yesterday agreed to set up a steering committee to look into the formation of an association separate from the New Zealand Engineers’ Union. The meeting was addressed by Mr L. Fernside, chairman

of the Auckland Air New Zealand working committee formed to establish the separate association. Mr Fernside said that the main advantage of setting up the association would be that aircraft workers could negotiate directly with the management of the National Airways Corporation and Air New Zealand. He said that there had been growing dissatisfaction among aircraft workers in Auckland at the representation they had been getting from their own union. Twice the union had declined to take up their claims for improved conditions.

He said that the movement to form the association had been supported by 84 per cent of the 550 aircraft workers in Auckland, most of whom were employed by Air New Zealand.

Of the 600 aircraft workers in Christchurch about 300 had already signed a form indicating that they were prepared to support the association.

One member asked the meeting yesterday to give the executive of the Engineers’ Union the chance to present the case in favour of the status quo but the meeting indicated that it did not want this.’ Members said that the union executive had not been near the works for a long time and was apparently not interested other than in collecting union fees. Mr Fernside said that if there was enough support from the aircraft workers throughout New Zealand—about 1500—an approach would be made to the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) to

have a separate organisation legally constituted. Whatever transpired, members would not be left unrepresented. One member said that he would have paid a full subscription to the proposed association forthwith had Mr Femside been prepared to give him a receipt. Mr Fernside said there had been no hint of disapproval from the management of Air New Zealand at plans to form the association.

In any event, he said, the association had no intention of upsetting the very good relations now existing between the management and aircraft workers. He said that the new association intended to represent everyone connected with the aircraft industry—engineers, tradesmen, cleaners, loaders, porters and others.