New Zealand

Talks over Air New Zealand dispute fail to reach agreement

13:24 pm on 15 April 2009

Efforts to resolve a dispute on pay parity between Air New Zealand and cabin crew have failed, despite late night talks.

The airline has been in a dispute for six months with 250 flight attendants, employed by a subsidiary Zeal 320 Ltd, who are flying Air New Zealand's A 320 fleet on trans-Tasman and Pacific routes.

The crews want pay parity with those employed by the parent company.

Negotiations between the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and Zeal 320 Ltd resumed on Tuesday and continued until 1am on Wednesday.

The union says it will now hold talks with its members before deciding what action to take.

Managers at the Air New Zealand subsidiary say they are disappointed at the failure of the talks.

Zeal 320 Ltd management say they are ready to return to mediation whenever EPMU makes itself available, to negotiate what they say would be a commercially sustainable collective agreement.

Earlier this month, they called off strike action planned for Easter, but they've continued low-level industrial action by refusing to wear their correct uniforms or to carry out standby duties.