Maritime workers back locked out flight attendants

The Mar­itime Union is back­ing locked out flight atten­dants employed by Air New Zealand sub­sidiary Zeal 320.

Mar­itime Union of New Zealand Gen­er­al Sec­re­tary Trevor Han­son says water­front work­ers and sea­far­ers sup­port­ed protests by locked out work­ers in Auck­land and Welling­ton today.

“The Mar­itime Union will give full and active sup­port to our fel­low trans­port work­ers and their union the EPMU in this dis­pute.”

He says the tac­tics of Air New Zealand man­age­ment are “text­book anti-work­er, anti-union stuff.”

“They have been using lock outs, threats, strike break­ers, hold­ing com­pa­nies — all to reduce the wages and con­di­tions of their work­ers.”

Mr Han­son says that Air New Zealand man­age­ment will find that their actions will only dam­age the com­pa­ny.

“Work­ers are no longer pre­pared to accept this type of activ­i­ty with fat cat exec­u­tives rip­ping off the work­ers who gen­er­ate the prof­it.”

He says there is a new and com­bat­ive mood amongst work­ers who were stand­ing up for their rights.

Mr Han­son says as a major­i­ty pub­lic-owned com­pa­ny, Air New Zealand had an oblig­a­tion to act in the pub­lic inter­est, rather than as “pirate cap­i­tal­ists.”

240 flight atten­dants employed by Air New Zealand sub­sidiary Zeal 320 Ltd have been locked out for four days.

The work­ers do the same work as flight atten­dants employed by Air New Zealand, but are employed on infe­ri­or wages and con­di­tions.