Pressure on Air NZ to rethink job losses

The new Government is under pressure from traditional Labour allies to intervene to spare the jobs and keep the skills of 617 Air New Zealand maintenance engineers.

Pressure from unions and the Greens is building during a mandatory consultation period before the national carrier confirms its decision to send overseas the heavy maintenance work for its long-haul aircraft.

The two unions representing the airline's 2100 maintenance engineers have just 56 days left to prepare a case against the findings of two sets of consultants, the first of which set about scrutinising the international competitiveness of retaining the business a year ago.

Even so, the unions hope to find enough gaps in a welter of material the airline has started sending them to persuade it to hold out for cyclical improvements such as a lower New Zealand dollar.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union secretary Andrew Little said last night the unions had established a precedent about eight years ago in successfully arguing against Air New Zealand plans to contract out the warehousing unit of its engineering business.

Although only 40 to 50 jobs were at stake then, a contractual consultation period had enabled the unions to present a compelling case for retaining most of them, including proposing some changes to work practices.

He acknowledged a far tougher task in the weeks ahead, but was keen to start wading through the company's material to ensure it had not based its decision too heavily on "short-term cyclical considerations".

Mr Little said if this proved so, there would be justification for asking Government ministers, holding more than 80 per cent of Air New Zealand after a $1 billion taxpayer bailout, for support in keeping a highly skilled workforce intact in the national interest.

He has already sought a meeting early next week with Finance Minister Michael Cullen, at which he is likely to be joined by a Council of Trade Unions representative.

CTU president Ross Wilson, who cannot recall such a large number of jobs being under threat in his six years in office, said Air New Zealand was a state-owned company whose practices reflected on the Government.

Mr Wilson said there were indications Air New Zealand's plan may be part of a broader move towards contracting out its essential services, an unwelcome hallmark of 1990s labour practices.

The Aviation and Marine Engineers Association, representing a large section of the endangered workforce but not a member of the CTU, is also expected to join Mr Little's union next week in a meeting of Air New Zealand engineering delegates.

* Yesterday Air New Zealand announced a separate plan to lay off 23 workers among its Christchurch check-in and loading staff.