Crews welcome airline review

Press, 4 April 1989, Page 5

Crews welcome airline review

PA Auckland Air New Zealand cabin crew have welcomed a company move to review its industrial strategy in the wake of last week’s strike.

But the airline has rejected union criticism of its internal communications during the dispute, saying both parties needed to look again at their approach to negotiations.

Air New Zealand said yesterday it expected to have lost just under $4 million from the Friday strike, which prompted the cancellation of about 100 domestic flights and six international flights and disrupted the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Legal action to claim damages as a result of the strike has not been ruled out.

A spokesman, Mr Chris Destrieux, said the company was, however, reviewing its industrial strategy in an attempt to avoid future stoppages. It was working with its industrial relations division to “see whether the

approach and the way things have been done can be improved,” he said. “It is obvious there is something wrong if one of the parties sees the need for industrial action.”

He said senior management could have a closer involvement with future negotiations in the cabin crew dispute.

The strike followed failed award talks. Crew are protesting at company plans to cut crew numbers and introduce longer shifts.

Asked about the airline’s strategy review, the secretary of the cabin crew union, Mr Tom Downey, said: “I think they need to rethink a lot of things.” Other unions had also had to file notice of industrial action during negotiations with the airline.

“If that doesn’t tell you

there’s something wrong with management's attitude, I don’t know what does.”

But he hoped greater progress could be made in talks with senior management later this week.

He believed there had been a communications breakdown within the company, which meant information from the union was not “filtering through” from . negotiators.

Air New Zealand, with other domestic airlines, is facing further industrial disruption after pilots gave notice of a 10-hour stoppage on April 14. The Air Line Pilots’ Association wants its members covered by a national award. Mr Destrieux said the airline planned to meet pilots’ representatives during the week.