Zeal 320 crew achieve pay rise

Zeal 320 crew achieve pay rise, plan to get on with the job – EPMU

After nearly a year of negotiations, Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union members at Air New Zealand subsidiary Zeal 320 have overwhelmingly voted to accept a settlement with the company.

The 15 month deal achieves a number of substantial improvements including a 3.95% pay increase, a 6.7% increase in a tour of duty allowance after 12 months, introduction of a new guaranteed allowance of either $149 or $186 a fortnight based on last year’s value of an at-risk bonus scheme, a $1000 up-front payment and the addition of a number of non-financial clauses.

A working group to look at hours of work and rostering will also be established.

The EPMU says the deal goes a long way towards closing the gap with Air New Zealand short haul crew in several key areas and provides greater security of income for the union’s 200 members.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says the company and union members can now focus on making the new agreement work.

“This has been a long, difficult and, at times, bruising dispute in which our members have stood together exceptionally well to meet the challenge and to get a good outcome.

“Now it’s over we will be looking to work with Air New Zealand to achieve more mutually beneficial gains, especially over rostering issues.

“One of the key aspects of this deal is that we have ongoing worker/management groups to address several issues and we are looking to these groups to help build a cooperative relationship with Zeal and its parent airline over the next fifteen months.

“The overwhelming vote from members to accept the deal shows that they are ready to move on from this dispute and get on with doing the job they enjoy and we believe the company feels the same way.”

The EPMU represents 45,000 New Zealand workers including nearly 4,000 at Air New Zealand.

ENDS

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