Air NZ Engineers Threaten 21-23 December Strike
Dec 12, 2018, 2:24 am
#76
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Dec 12, 2018, 2:28 am
#77
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Should the strike proceed, it may be impossible for Air NZ to make alternate arrangements to satisfy the travel wants of all passengers over the 3 days concerned , and the best that could be done is a refund.
Dec 12, 2018, 2:31 am
#78
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strike notice lifted
Strike notice lifted for Air New Zealand after maintenance workers reach agreement, subject to Member's vote.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12175873
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12175873
Dec 12, 2018, 2:55 am
#80
Join Date: May 2001
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When will the vote take place?
My pure speculation, I would imagine if members rejected the new offer, Air NZ will walk away and do a lock out ☹️, with massive media campaign to blame the union ...
My pure speculation, I would imagine if members rejected the new offer, Air NZ will walk away and do a lock out ☹️, with massive media campaign to blame the union ...
Dec 12, 2018, 2:24 pm
#82
Join Date: Feb 2014
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That is a very good example of the way brand/customer management is handled in NZ: ignore it until after the fact.
NZ *should* have been actively managing expectations.
Contacting customers and telling them A. What is happening at point X ("A strike has been called by the engineers union for these dates. It will potentially affect ABC services. It will not affect XYZ services") B. Follow up with positive information advising what the airline intends to do on the days concerned (We will, as always, flail about like headless chickens) and outlining options for potentially affected pax (If you have ABC tickets you can consider adjusting your plans and moving your flight/s to another day. If you have XYZ tickets you are SOL. If you have travel insurance you might be able to claim on that'; good luck. We are not issuing refunds in the lead up because we're NZ and we Simply Don't Back Money Unless Forced After The Fact.)
NZ are great at marketing. They are ok at running an airline (with notable holes in capability). They are absolutely garbage at customer management.
Lock outs are illegal, with *one* exception. NZ *must* continue to negotiate in good faith. If they don't think negotiations will/can go anywhere then they can apply to the Court for mediation. Any sort of media campaign to "blame" the union would be grounds for action by the union as a deliberate and active breach of good faith. I agree though: NZ is likely to try both. New Zealand employers tend to be terrible at HR and law.
NZ *should* have been actively managing expectations.
Contacting customers and telling them A. What is happening at point X ("A strike has been called by the engineers union for these dates. It will potentially affect ABC services. It will not affect XYZ services") B. Follow up with positive information advising what the airline intends to do on the days concerned (We will, as always, flail about like headless chickens) and outlining options for potentially affected pax (If you have ABC tickets you can consider adjusting your plans and moving your flight/s to another day. If you have XYZ tickets you are SOL. If you have travel insurance you might be able to claim on that'; good luck. We are not issuing refunds in the lead up because we're NZ and we Simply Don't Back Money Unless Forced After The Fact.)
NZ are great at marketing. They are ok at running an airline (with notable holes in capability). They are absolutely garbage at customer management.
Lock outs are illegal, with *one* exception. NZ *must* continue to negotiate in good faith. If they don't think negotiations will/can go anywhere then they can apply to the Court for mediation. Any sort of media campaign to "blame" the union would be grounds for action by the union as a deliberate and active breach of good faith. I agree though: NZ is likely to try both. New Zealand employers tend to be terrible at HR and law.
Dec 12, 2018, 2:44 pm
#83
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That they had been notified of a strike, and whether they anticipate any impact on passengers would be a start. Many of us if we didn't follow New Zealand news would gave had zero knowledge of this even happening.
Given there's been zero coverage of this strike in Australia, and Air New Zealand didn't even tell people that the strike had been notified to them, a reasonable person would not have known the strike was happening.
Given there's been zero coverage of this strike in Australia, and Air New Zealand didn't even tell people that the strike had been notified to them, a reasonable person would not have known the strike was happening.
Dec 12, 2018, 2:45 pm
#84
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,637
That is a very good example of the way brand/customer management is handled in NZ: ignore it until after the fact.
NZ *should* have been actively managing expectations.
Contacting customers and telling them A. What is happening at point X ("A strike has been called by the engineers union for these dates. It will potentially affect ABC services. It will not affect XYZ services") B. Follow up with positive information advising what the airline intends to do on the days concerned (We will, as always, flail about like headless chickens) and outlining options for potentially affected pax (If you have ABC tickets you can consider adjusting your plans and moving your flight/s to another day. If you have XYZ tickets you are SOL. If you have travel insurance you might be able to claim on that'; good luck. We are not issuing refunds in the lead up because we're NZ and we Simply Don't Back Money Unless Forced After The Fact.)
NZ are great at marketing. They are ok at running an airline (with notable holes in capability). They are absolutely garbage at customer management.
Lock outs are illegal, with *one* exception. NZ *must* continue to negotiate in good faith. If they don't think negotiations will/can go anywhere then they can apply to the Court for mediation. Any sort of media campaign to "blame" the union would be grounds for action by the union as a deliberate and active breach of good faith. I agree though: NZ is likely to try both. New Zealand employers tend to be terrible at HR and law.
NZ *should* have been actively managing expectations.
Contacting customers and telling them A. What is happening at point X ("A strike has been called by the engineers union for these dates. It will potentially affect ABC services. It will not affect XYZ services") B. Follow up with positive information advising what the airline intends to do on the days concerned (We will, as always, flail about like headless chickens) and outlining options for potentially affected pax (If you have ABC tickets you can consider adjusting your plans and moving your flight/s to another day. If you have XYZ tickets you are SOL. If you have travel insurance you might be able to claim on that'; good luck. We are not issuing refunds in the lead up because we're NZ and we Simply Don't Back Money Unless Forced After The Fact.)
NZ are great at marketing. They are ok at running an airline (with notable holes in capability). They are absolutely garbage at customer management.
Lock outs are illegal, with *one* exception. NZ *must* continue to negotiate in good faith. If they don't think negotiations will/can go anywhere then they can apply to the Court for mediation. Any sort of media campaign to "blame" the union would be grounds for action by the union as a deliberate and active breach of good faith. I agree though: NZ is likely to try both. New Zealand employers tend to be terrible at HR and law.
They don't know what services will be affected as they don't know how many union members will cross the picket line and likewise how many non union members will get "sick". The only way for AirNZ to have certainty is a lockout which is what QANTAS did., then they can say the flights aren't happening.
Dec 12, 2018, 8:09 pm
#85
Join Date: Jan 2007
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The strike notice is withdrawn. The vote is only to ratify the deal. If the members vote down the deal there would need to be a new strike notice issued.
Dec 12, 2018, 9:53 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
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It assumes that AirNZ has that information and what to publicise the issue potentially acting as PR for the union. Then if they tell their pax to do X and the strike doesn't happen, people have spent money, rearranged plans and could be asking for compensation for the unrequired changes to their plans. So they are dammed if they do and dammed if they don't
They don't know what services will be affected as they don't know how many union members will cross the picket line and likewise how many non union members will get "sick". The only way for AirNZ to have certainty is a lockout which is what QANTAS did., then they can say the flights aren't happening.
Dec 12, 2018, 11:26 pm
#87
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: BNE
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When were lockouts made illegal? I distinctly remember a lockout in a dispute with NZ Bus or its predecessor Stagecoach Auckland.
Dec 12, 2018, 11:35 pm
#88
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Strikes and lockouts are legitimate actions used by parties to advance their bargaining aims. These actions can have a significant impact on both parties and shouldn’t be taken lightly. They can:
Strikes and lockouts are also lawful where those striking or locking out have reasonable grounds for believing health or safety is being compromised.
<snip>
Lockouts
Employers lockout employees when they close, suspend, or discontinue their business or a part of it, break some or all of an employee’s employment agreement, don’t give them work they would usually give them, or suspend employees. To be a lockout, this action must be done to try to make their employees, (or to help another employer make their employees), accept terms of employment or comply with their demands. Employers may also lock out on health and safety grounds.
- have major emotional and economic effects on the parties, their families and in some cases, on society
- significantly harm the relationships of those bargaining.
Strikes and lockouts are also lawful where those striking or locking out have reasonable grounds for believing health or safety is being compromised.
<snip>
Lockouts
Employers lockout employees when they close, suspend, or discontinue their business or a part of it, break some or all of an employee’s employment agreement, don’t give them work they would usually give them, or suspend employees. To be a lockout, this action must be done to try to make their employees, (or to help another employer make their employees), accept terms of employment or comply with their demands. Employers may also lock out on health and safety grounds.
Dec 12, 2018, 11:43 pm
#89
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Email from Air NZ sent this evening at approx 7:15pm
Code:
Kia ora Thai-Kiwi, The team at Air New Zealand would like to acknowledge how stressful this past week has been for customers booked to travel in the lead up to Christmas. It’s great to be able to confirm the threat of strike action was lifted late last night so you can continue to have confidence in your travel plans as we are now on track to operate our flights as normal at this very important time of year. We are currently heading into the busiest travel period of the year. Air New Zealand will carry six million customers this summer with up to 600 flights a day at peak times. Next Friday 21 December, 30,000 customers are expected to pass through Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal alone. If you’re travelling this summer, there are a few things you can do to ensure your journey is a smooth one. Please take the time to download our app on your smartphone – or update it if you don’t have the latest version. It’s free and is the best way for us to communicate with you and keep you up to date with real time flight information including last minute schedule delays or gate changes. Unfortunately, schedule disruptions do happen from time to time and our Travel Alerts service is a great source of up to date information in these situations. We strongly encourage you to sign up for the service and ensure your current contact details are entered into your booking detail, should we need to reach you while you’re on the go. Do make sure you get to the airport in plenty of time. With the high volumes of people travelling, expect queues at check in and security and make sure you allow yourself plenty of time for a stress-free journey. Finally, don’t overlook travel insurance, even for domestic journeys. While we’re all hoping for a long idyllic summer, every year things outside our control such as summer storms can play havoc with customers’ travel plans. For peace of mind we always recommend travellers take out travel insurance. Thank you again to those customers affected by the uncertainty of the past week for your patience and support. Have a very safe and happy holiday period. Ngā mihi Air New Zealand
Dec 12, 2018, 11:51 pm
#90
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