Anti-strike application withdrawn

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 1

Anti-strike application withdrawn

PA Auckland Air New Zealand has withdrawn its application for a temporary injunction seeking to prevent the Airline Stewards and Hostesses’ Union and three union executive members from holding illegal strikes or stop-work meetings. Mr Justice Barker dismissed the motion for an interim injunction and reserved costs at the request of Mr Barrie Travis, counsel for Air New Zealand. Mr Travis said that since the injunction was served on the defendants last Friday there had been no subsequent illegal strike to disrupt the airline’s services. There was thus no pressing need at present for the company to seek an interim injunction. “Should further disruptions be threatened in the meantime, a new motion for an interim injunction will be filed.” He said the airline would proceed with the writ for damages and permanent injunctions against the defendants as soon as a hearing could be obtained. The airline is seeking gen-

eral damages of $lOO,OOO and recovery of an unspecified amount of the costs of disruption to two flights after a stop-work meeting. The sum is believed to be about $50,000. Mr John Haigh, for the union, said the union would claim that its actions had been “utterly legal.” The union, he said, was concerned for the health and safety of its members and passengers. His Honour, referring to comment on the interim injunction made on a radio programme by the airline’s public affairs manager, Mr Bob Wallace, read an affidavit by Mr Wallace. His Honour said he did not propose to take any action in the present case, but Mr Wallace, or anyone in his position, should be warned that such comment should not happen again. It was wrong, he said, for the Radio New Zealand reporter to ask Mr Wallace why the airline was taking the union to court when the matter was to be before the court on the very morning of the hearing. “I regard the matter as ended,” he said, “but trust it won’t happen again.”