Air NZ, Unions Agree Deal, Strike Off

Air New Zealand has reached agreement with two ground staff unions, averting a planned three day strike leading up to Christmas.

The airline said that three days of mediated talks concluded on Wednesday evening with an agreement with the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA) and E tū unions. The deal will now go to member ballots.

Chief ground operations officer Carrie Hurihanganui said the airline has been very focused on achieving a resolution, and customers can now be reassured about their Christmas holiday travel plans.

“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,” Hurihanganui said.

The E tū union said talks concluded at 10pm and the three one-day strike notices had been lifted as members core aims have largely been achieved by the “much improved” offer. Specific details about the offer will not be released until members have been briefed, the union said.

“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,” E tū’s head of aviation, Savage said. “We will be recommending the deal to members at ratification meetings over the coming week.”

The two unions, representing maintenance engineers and logistics staff, had issued strike notices for December 21, 22 and 23.