Air line catering staff to return to work today

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 9

Air line catering staff to return to work today

Meals may be resumed on international flights from Christchurch Airport by tomorrow.

Christchurch Air New Zealand catering staff will return to work this morning, the first possible shift after the Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger, called for an immediate return to work, promising that a compulsory conference will be held to resolve their dispute. However, no food would be produced today as staff would be busy cleaning up the kitchen which was “a colossal mess,” said the assistant secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union, Mr Andy Lawson.

Air New Zealand hopes to be able to cater for two of the three Quantas return flights from Christ-

church tomorrow but the union has agreed to allow Qantas to bring enough food and drink on board for the return journey if necessary.

Full in-flight service should be resumed by Saturday.

Mr Lawson said the conference, which ended a 17-day strike by international flight kitchen staff, would be held in Auckland on February 24. The stoppage began when some Auckland staff were suspended by the airline for refusing to do certain duties in protest against the breakdown in their pay negotiations. Although union members were prepared to continue the strike, Mr Lawson said they were “quite glad the Minister had stepped in.”

“We think it is probably the best way now to get a satisfactory result,” he said. “We do not want to inconvenience the public any more.”

Local union members had agreed to accept any decision made by the conference.

An Air New Zealand spokesman in Auckland said food would not be available on international flights out of the city tomorrow. Kitchen staff were back at work, but kitchens would have to be restocked today, the spokesman said.

It would take a day to get the flight kitchens back into full production, he said. Fresh food had to be ordered, dry goods replenished, and menus drawn up.