180 AirNZ Engineers to go

[listentome]

Falling demand behind 180 jobs cut - Air NZ - Business - NZ Herald News (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11113308)

[training wheels]

That's strange considering Air NZ's the only major in the region that's recruiting pilots at the moment. Modern planes fix themselves these days?

[Tosspott]

I feel 180 is the starting figure.The place needs a good clean out and Culture change:)

[tartare]

Either AKL or CHC will go in entirety.
Consolidation to one jet base for NZ has been in planning at senior levels for at least 10 years - despite what they might tell you publicly.

[billyt]

First post for you Tosspot. Member for two years. I wonder what your agenda is.

[tartare]

Lurking spin doctor...?;)

[Tosspott]

Agenda this none i left the place years ago.Nothing to do with management eg.Generally just watch.Have my short comments hurt.You need to face reality.Average age is now to high.I believe you probably will have an over the top clean out coming.Post there will be allot of running around saying they got rid of too many.But thats the plan.Anyway i have done very well since taking VR 2006.There is always work for good Men.

[Wellwellwell]

Just wait for the next installment.

[AEROMEDIC]

Post there will be allot of running around saying they got rid of too many

Tosspot,

They ALWAYS get rid of too many. The only good thing about that is that it shortens the time from firing to re-hiring.

[slamer.]

Union deal would delay job cuts for a year: Air NZ


5:30 AM Saturday Aug 24

http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/201334/20456f3c951841aa68cae2eb449b7bba_220x141.jpg
[/URL][URL="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11113540#"] (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11113540#)Air New Zealand says it will stick to its plan to keep the refurbishment of eight Boeing 777s in Auckland if it can get union agreement. Photo / NZPA


Air New Zealand says it will delay the axing of 180 wide-body maintenance jobs if it can get an industrial agreement with a union covering some of the engineers.
The airline said it will stick to plans to keep its refurbishment of eight Boeing 777-200s in Auckland if the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association ratifies an employment agreement.
Last September it announced the revamp of the planes - including adding more seats and entertainment systems - and said "with pride this work will be undertaken at our Auckland engineering base". But since it has floated a plan to do the work overseas.
Although it will cost $12 million more to do the work here, the airline yesterday said it was prepared to take the financial hit.
The volume of heavy engineering work is dwindling as Air New Zealand and other airlines modernise their fleets and preserving the jobs for another year could just be a stop-gap measure.
"It doesn't get rid of the issue, which is [that] there isn't any work coming in, but it would buy another 12 months," said Air New Zealand's chief operating officer Bruce Parton.

He said if there was an agreement with the association work would continue to July 2015 instead of coming to a halt in May next year.
The association's national secretary Jacqui Roberts said she was hopeful of a resolution but the contract was snagged by legal issues around coverage of her members doing two different engineering jobs.
"We definitely want to protect our members' work. The company is saying they want to have industrial stability - they could just roll over our current agreement," she said.
Both the EPMU and Air New Zealand cite the addition of new aircraft as the main reason for the drop off in heavy maintenance work.
Air New Zealand is phasing out its five 767s and its two 747s and replacing them with new planes, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which requires less routine maintenance and servicing than the older planes.
Parton said: "We all go and buy a brand new car and the mechanic around the corner doesn't get as much work. Everyone in the region is buying brand new cars."
The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union assistant director of organising Strachan Crang said the 777 refurbishment could give workers breathing space.
"We're going to be working hard to retain that 777 work in New Zealand so that gives us time to find alternatives and time for the political parties to get the New Zealand dollar down so we can be competitive on the world stage," he said.
Crang said prospects of finding replacement contracts from airlines still using older planes was being hurt by the high New Zealand dollar.
"There have been productivity gains in double figures over the last three years but they've been eroded."
"This is a highly engaged workforce and we're engaging with the company all the time on this issue. This is a sad, sad day for aircraft engineering."
The airline has shed hundreds of staff over the past 18 months, and 80 jobs at Safe Air, an engineering subsidiary in Blenheim, remain at risk.
On Thursday it is set to announce a $180 million-plus profit for the past financial year.

[600ft-lb]

"With the introduction of the 777-300ERs over the past 18 months and the arrival of the 787-9s in mid 2014, the 777-200ER fleet will be upgraded to align the product across all of the three long-haul fleet types," says Mr Thompson.
"We will be delivering the latest technology to our customers, including the Inflight Entertainment System developed in conjunction with Panasonic which will bring the latest in technology with improved resolution and capacitive touch monitors to all seats in the aircraft," he says.
The new system called 'Panasonic eXlite' will have improved system performance along with significant weight savings through better component design and architecture. Air New Zealand will be the launch customer for the new system on the 777-200ER.
Mr Thompson says that in addition to the new IFE system changes, the upgrade will introduce the new elements of the Air New Zealand brand refresh seen in the interiors of the 777-300ER and A320 domestic aircraft.
This will see the Business Premier seats on the 777-200ER upgraded to match that on the 777-300ER, and the complete replacement of the Premium Economy and Economy seats.
"Air New Zealand was the first to deliver a lie-flat sleeping experience to our Economy customers through our hugely successful Skycouch product, and we are excited about enabling many more customers to experience this on our 777-200ERs," says Mr Thompson.
A number of aircraft will also have new Air New Zealand livery applied during the same period.
"With pride this work will be undertaken at our Auckland Engineering Base," he says.

The EXACT same thing happened at Avalon. The cynic in me views this as an industrial threat to screw wages down at an already profitable business. Disgusting.

[Short_Circuit]

Qantas earlier this year came to an agreement with the ALAEA not to sack an extra 80 odd SYD engineers if they exhausted all their accrued annual leave and long service leave.
This month there is a very strong rumor that they will sack another 50 from Sydney despite the leave burn. So what was the point? Burn your leave and not be paid it out when sacked?? :ugh:

Our Kiwi brothers warned of this not long ago when Nasty appeared in Syd. :ouch:

[kaikohe76]

I have no axe whatever to grind in this particular case, but I would pose the question, `Have Air New Zealand any plans whatsoever to outsource aircraft servicing & other services to China`? It might be worth the Unions & other representative groups within the airline, to pose this question directly to management.
It would be interesting to see what if any answer might be forthcoming.

[Silverado]

Qantas earlier this year came to an agreement with the ALAEA not to sack an extra 80 odd SYD engineers if they exhausted all their accrued annual leave and long service leave.
This month there is a very strong rumor that they will sack another 50 from Sydney despite the leave burn. So what was the point? Burn your leave and not be paid it out when sacked??

Are you happy to have a job, or kicking yourself for not taking the package?

[Gas Bags]

This thread is about ANZ. How did it turn into talking about Qantas? You guys really do live in a bubble........sheeeesh.

[600ft-lb]

Because it's an observation of the same tactic is being employed at air nz as Qantas.

-Threaten to sack a large number of staff because the work can be done cheaper in the third world.
- Do a deal with the workforce to screw down terms/conditions with the blade of an axe ready to drop. Management come out smelling like roses.
- Give the now compliant workforce a stay of execution for a year, get them to reduce the leave liability for the upcoming termination packages, helps next years bottom line.
- Sack them anyway, bonus in tact, groans of "I told you so" to the unions.

[Tarq57]

I seem to recall that almost exactly the same thing happened at ANZ about 6 years ago.
Some thought it was a bluff. The majority decided to accept inferior employment contracts (collective) as a result. Engineering stayed here.
A source inside tells me he was speaking to an industrial consultant hired by ANZ at the time. It transpires it wasn't a bluff; they were actually prepared to do it (outsource heavy maintenance.) The beancounters had it all worked out.

The company went with the option that cost them less. Not much loyalty there, methinks, it was mainly about the $$.

[Tosspott]

In 2006 Mr Nastys prefered option was to outsource but Air NZ management didnt really has the guts for it.After all if you look at Air NZ management they never talk about being trend setters or there intelligents. They say we are Nibble.Which is code for we watch others and when it safe we follow.Air NZ management showed what they were made of when they came in contact with Murdoch in the Ansett deal.He profiled them as Hillbillies and took them to the cleaners.Biggest loss in NZ corporate history.They are now going to follow others with outsourcing.Does anyone disagree with Tosspotts assessment:)

[listentome]

Did the stoush with the line guys get sorted, or is that part of this as well?