Helen Clarke
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On the subject of Kiwi bashing, this is the TOP STORY in NZ today????
TOP STORY
MONDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2001
T O P S T O R Y
Kiwi bashing 'stupid'
17 September 2001
"Stupid behaviour" by Australian unionists is endangering Air New Zealand's future, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today as transtasman tensions increased over the demise of Ansett.
Ansett, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, was grounded early on Friday when it was put into statutory management with the immediate loss of 16,000 jobs.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions wants the airline to come up with $500 million owed to Australian workers, but Miss Clark said it was totally counter-productive for unionists to try to drive Air New Zealand into the ground while also trying to get money out of it for Ansett.
"They're cutting off their nose to spite their face and we're just trying to point out a few facts of life. This is stupid behaviour.
"You'd think there'd never been a corporate collapse in Australia's history, for goodness' sake.
"Did New Zealanders carry on like lunatics when the airline bearing the Qantas logo went down? Of course not."
Miss Clark herself was caught in union protests when her Air New Zealand plane was blockaded at Melbourne on Friday while she waited for a flight home.
Miss Clark said it was unfortunate the collapse had coincided with Australia's "electoral silly season" - the run-up to a general election - when unions and the Australian Labor Party were trying to blame the Federal Government for the mess.
The New Zealand Government had not asked the Australian Government for support in getting unions off Air New Zealand's back.
"In the electoral silly season there's not going to be any Brownie points for anyone in saying a kind word for New Zealand, but you would have thought the Australian Council of Trade Unions, which has forever and a day been very close to our CTU, might have spared a thought for the jobs of their cobbers across the Tasman."
Asked whether the actions were further endangering Air New Zealand, Miss Clark said "of course it is".
"Air New Zealand is a very viable airline. But to continue that viability you need to be able to continue to trade in the environment you've had, and when you have people in a key market urging that others boycott it, it's very damaging."
Asked whether Air New Zealand had the four to six weeks that due diligence would take for the agreed rescue package to go ahead, Miss Clark said it was "sort of day by day at the moment".
"I haven't had any fresh assessment this morning. The intention would be to carry on with the due diligence process."
Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today that the Air New Zealand board had to "front up" to the problems facing Ansett staff.
Mr Wilson, in daily contact with the ACTU since Thursday, said Air New Zealand had a responsibility to the Ansett workers.
If it wanted to keep operating in Australia it was going to have to work out a way forward, and it "should take the initiative at a high level".
"Standing off and not engaging is creating an irreparably detrimental situation at all levels."
Mr Wilson said that it was clear Air New Zealand couldn't afford to resolve the situation immediately, but it needed a clear long-term plan that included looking at how it could meet its liabilities.
But he also criticised the predominantly Rupert Murdoch-owned Australian media of hyping up the situation, saying it was in the interests of Mr Murdoch, as the former owner of Ansett, to lay the blame on New Zealand.
TOP STORY
MONDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2001
T O P S T O R Y
Kiwi bashing 'stupid'
17 September 2001
"Stupid behaviour" by Australian unionists is endangering Air New Zealand's future, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today as transtasman tensions increased over the demise of Ansett.
Ansett, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, was grounded early on Friday when it was put into statutory management with the immediate loss of 16,000 jobs.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions wants the airline to come up with $500 million owed to Australian workers, but Miss Clark said it was totally counter-productive for unionists to try to drive Air New Zealand into the ground while also trying to get money out of it for Ansett.
"They're cutting off their nose to spite their face and we're just trying to point out a few facts of life. This is stupid behaviour.
"You'd think there'd never been a corporate collapse in Australia's history, for goodness' sake.
"Did New Zealanders carry on like lunatics when the airline bearing the Qantas logo went down? Of course not."
Miss Clark herself was caught in union protests when her Air New Zealand plane was blockaded at Melbourne on Friday while she waited for a flight home.
Miss Clark said it was unfortunate the collapse had coincided with Australia's "electoral silly season" - the run-up to a general election - when unions and the Australian Labor Party were trying to blame the Federal Government for the mess.
The New Zealand Government had not asked the Australian Government for support in getting unions off Air New Zealand's back.
"In the electoral silly season there's not going to be any Brownie points for anyone in saying a kind word for New Zealand, but you would have thought the Australian Council of Trade Unions, which has forever and a day been very close to our CTU, might have spared a thought for the jobs of their cobbers across the Tasman."
Asked whether the actions were further endangering Air New Zealand, Miss Clark said "of course it is".
"Air New Zealand is a very viable airline. But to continue that viability you need to be able to continue to trade in the environment you've had, and when you have people in a key market urging that others boycott it, it's very damaging."
Asked whether Air New Zealand had the four to six weeks that due diligence would take for the agreed rescue package to go ahead, Miss Clark said it was "sort of day by day at the moment".
"I haven't had any fresh assessment this morning. The intention would be to carry on with the due diligence process."
Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today that the Air New Zealand board had to "front up" to the problems facing Ansett staff.
Mr Wilson, in daily contact with the ACTU since Thursday, said Air New Zealand had a responsibility to the Ansett workers.
If it wanted to keep operating in Australia it was going to have to work out a way forward, and it "should take the initiative at a high level".
"Standing off and not engaging is creating an irreparably detrimental situation at all levels."
Mr Wilson said that it was clear Air New Zealand couldn't afford to resolve the situation immediately, but it needed a clear long-term plan that included looking at how it could meet its liabilities.
But he also criticised the predominantly Rupert Murdoch-owned Australian media of hyping up the situation, saying it was in the interests of Mr Murdoch, as the former owner of Ansett, to lay the blame on New Zealand.
Join Date: Mar 2000
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There is no point in Kiwi bashing. Like most things these days it is the ordinary person who gets f**cked over when corporate collapse happen, not the ar$eholes running the show or the govt.
I note however that Toomey and Jensen are Aussies anyhow - is there any truth to the rumor that Jensen has been offered a Job back with QF with his old seniority number?.
rgs
FS
I note however that Toomey and Jensen are Aussies anyhow - is there any truth to the rumor that Jensen has been offered a Job back with QF with his old seniority number?.
rgs
FS
Join Date: Oct 2000
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The $5 million the board awarded themselves as performance bonuses will be the last sort of income they'll ever receive, until they have to give it back.
Who would ever employ this bunch of dithering idiots.
Who would ever employ this bunch of dithering idiots.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: australia
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If you south sea poms are too lazy to turn out for your own federal election (40%)? then you deserve the leader you have. Don't worry everything will be different when the Mongrel Mob takes over & we're right for apples thanks.
Join Date: Jan 1999
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If the dim-witted leader of our Kiwi brothers in *alms*, does not intend to honour the A.N.Z.U.S. treaty, would that mean she was removing the N.Z. from A.U.S. if so who will the easybeats be for the NRL and Cricket and Rugby and Soccer and Net Ball. MY GOD this could spell the end of sport as we know it.
[ 17 September 2001: Message edited by: Back Seat Driver ]
[ 17 September 2001: Message edited by: Back Seat Driver ]
