“Cabin crew are the face of the airline. They welcome people to the country, keep passengers safe, and support travellers in all sorts of situations.
“They worked through huge challenges, including job losses during Covid, and they deserve respect and a fair wage,” Wood said in a statement.
“Instead, they are not paid enough for what they do and the hours they work, with current guaranteed base salaries of around $60,000,” he said.
“Crew are expected to trade away hard-won conditions, while the company is in the middle of a $100 million share buy-back. It’s unreasonable, and our members have had enough.”
He said members were not asking for “executive salaries” but for a fair deal that reflects their skills, responsibilities, and the real cost of living.
“Air NZ needs to come to the table with a proper mandate to settle.”
Wood said the union hoped to avoid taking strike action by reaching agreement in ongoing negotiations.
“The best way to avoid any disruption is for Air NZ to sit down with us in good faith and negotiate a fair outcome, and we encourage people to send a message to the company showing their support for cabin crew.
“We’re ready to work hard in the coming weeks to reach a settlement and prevent any strike action. The company needs to do the same.”
Earlier today, Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said E tū told the airline there might be some industrial action.
“However, no formal notice of a strike has been received.”
Ravishankar said the airline was meeting with union representatives again this week.
He said meetings would aim to “progress efforts to reach a fair and sustainable agreement that recognises the important work our crew do”.
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