Timing of roster change ‘provocative’

Press, 22 December 1984, Page 9

Timing of roster change ‘provocative’

By

PATRICIA HERBERT,

in Wellington

The Stewards and Hostesses’ Union had “bent Over backwards” to resolve the dispute with Air New Zealand, said the union’s president, Mr Peter Best, after talks at the Beehive broke down yesterday. “We knew there was going to be trouble but we did not expect it to go this far,” he said. He though the timing of the-roster change was deliberately provocative.

Mr Michael Jackson, secretary of the Auckland Storemen and Packers’ Union, said the travelling public should direct its anger against the company. “They created the dispute, they introduced the roster on December 19. They could have left the old system in place for at least another

month, as the union suggested,” he said. The Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger, put scratchy tempers displayed by both sides down to exhaustion and said some of the negotiators had not slept for 50 hours.. The talks had been held in “a hard environment” and everyone was a little frayed at the edges, he said. But he thought a resolution, soon was possible, because it was becoming increasingly necessary.

“When necessity further sharpens their minds, it Will bring additional pressure to bear on them,” he said. Mr Rodger agreed that the timing of the roster change had been “unfortunte.”

The president of the Auckland Trades Council, Mr Bill Andersen, who took over negotiations on behalf

of the aircrew union yesterday, said the union offer to go back to work would have ended the impasse, reports the Press Association. “We have also advised Qantas that we have no objection to its laying on extra flights in order to clear the backlog of passengers on both sides of the Tasman,” he said.

Air New Zealand’s chief executive, Mr Norman Geary, told a press conference that there could be no negotiations until international flights resumed. He gave a clear indication that more of the cabin crew staff would be dismissed unless there was a return to work.

Mr Geary called the strike illegal, inconsiderate of the travelling public, and an over-reaction to the roster change.