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Unions representing Air New Zealand workers presented a petition to Parliament yesterday calling for a select committee inquiry into the airline's behaviour towards staff during recent outsourcing disputes.
The petition, organised by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association, was signed by more than 800 airline workers.
EPMU national secretary Andrew Little said an inquiry was in the public interest in terms of transparency.
"Many Air NZ employees are rightly asking how they could be forced into negotiations over their collective agreement with the threat of contracting out their jobs and at a time when they aren't allowed to take industrial action," he said.
However, Air NZ yesterday called the petition "nothing more than a publicity stunt".
Group general manager Vanessa Stoddart said it was "extremely disappointing" given that the approach taken by Air NZ had been based strictly on the agreed procedures which had been negotiated with the unions over the years and were enshrined in the relevant collective employment agreements.
In March, the EPMU agreed to a deal with Air NZ, accepting pay cuts and 300 job losses, after the company planned to outsource 1700 ground staff jobs.
Ms Stoddart said the restructuring was the subject of extensive legal challenges by the union which "only served to create lengthy uncertainty for a significant workforce".
"It is extremely disappointing that the EPMU is now seeking to re-litigate substantially the same issues in a new forum, particularly since the airline reached an agreement with the union and has now moved on," she said.
Mr Little said: "New Zealanders own 83 per cent of Air NZ - that makes us the majority shareholder and gives us the right to hold them to account."
- NZPA
