Remoak, I don't believe that money is the main issue. It is one of a number of issues. Many are just life style choices, which the company who are supposed to be about supporting Air New Zealanders as we are called, make it about money in the media as that is what gets the public on their side. Greedy pilots who they all think are earning 150k plus. The journos obviously aren't all that investigative these days as a quick look at a few rosters would quickly show a couple of quotes in the Air NSN media release as being a stretch at best to just plain lying.
I have looked at friends rosters at Air NSN, who cover sickness on a standby system. The Captains during a normal week (not holidays) are generally hardly ever rostered Standby, why because he has not got enough crew. So to keep planes in the air he gets people working on their days off and leave to cover.
Considering they are not asking for anything more than current CPI projections, what is Air NZ's problem? When fuel goes up, the fuel surcharge gets slapped straight on. But then JH only gets his bonus by cutting costs and where can he cut costs?? By bullying and beating his staff into submission. After Mt Cook two years ago, I hoped that Air NZ managment may have changed their Brieley style of management, but it just goes to show that they are generally reactive and when a situation comes up they just do what they always do. But hey how else would you treat a great bunch of Air New Zealanders.
JH is still spouting that he has not got a pilot numbers problem, who is he kidding, they are leaving in droves at the moment, and some of them are or were in Air NSN for life, but are sick of getting the raw deal everytime we negotiate.
At Mt Cook, the then manager told the negotiators, that he could pay what was being sought but did not want too, far enough, that is why we negotiate, in the same breath he said, although he had a mandate (limit on what he could give) he had basically an open cheque book to fight any action we may possibly take against the company. Go figure
My ten cents worth. Air NSN fellow members, stay staunce and stay together.
Cheers