Air crew's strike plan slammed

Air New Zealand yesterday slammed planned strike action by long-haul flight attendants as unnecessary, unlawful, and timed to undermine the high tourism profile New Zealand is enjoying as a result of the America's Cup and the Lord of the Rings movies.

The Flight Attendants and Related Services Association (Farsa), which represents about 1000 Air NZ cabin crew, has told the airline its members plan a 24-hour strike on February 5 and 48-hour strikes on February 7-8, February 10-11 and February 13-14.

Farsa members are seeking a "clear day" - a break that includes a midnight-to-midnight 24-hour span - between the 13-hour legs of the airline's service to Los Angeles.

Contract negotiations between Air NZ and Farsa broke down last week over the issue.

Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris said yesterday that the issue was one of health and safety and, as such, should be resolved "outside the industrial forum".

"Health and safety, if that's how Farsa wants to term their rostering concerns, is a separate issue to remuneration. Any issue of crew fatigue raised in discussions requires a serious examination by the company. This matter should be addressed by an objective review outside pay bargaining," Mr Norris said.

The airline viewed the planned strikes as "unlawful given the fact that the airline concluded bargaining last week".

An Air NZ spokeswoman said the company had no immediate plans for legal action against Farsa but added: "We are just looking at how we might pursue that".

Mr Norris said the timing of the planned strikes, which would likely result in flight delays and cancellations, was "clearly intended to undermine New Zealand's current high profile at the beginning of the America's Cup campaign and following our positive exposure to tourism markets generated by our Lord of the Rings promotions".

But Farsa spokesman Terry Law said the strikes' timing was "attributable to the company's actions".

"The company itself announced when we met them last week that negotiations were at an end," he said.

"So we had really no alternative other than to either accept what they offered or to accept the negotiations were at an end and, therefore, take whatever action was necessary to get negotiations under way again."

Mr Law said Air NZ's contention that the issue of longer breaks was not part of contract negotiations was "a new and, in our view, a rather spurious argument" which the company had put to the union shortly before talks stalled last week.

"It's the first time they have suggested that this wasn't an appropriate forum to be discussing the issue," he said.

"A very large part of the long-haul flight attendants' collective employment contract is taken up with matters connected with duty time limitations."

Mr Law said a fatigue study group set up six years ago in agreement with the airline found a wide level of dissatisfaction among Farsa members.

On Tuesday, Air NZ said it had begun contingency planning to minimise the impact of the strikes on customers.

- NZPA