Solution

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, April 23rd, 2009 - 12 comments
Categories: employment, wages, workers' rights - Tags:

Keeping with the topics of the day thus far – Air New Zealand and pay packets – a solution to the Zeal320 dispute occurs to me.

There are about 240 flight attendants striking for fairer pay (they want pay parity with flight attendants doing the same job but employed directly by AirNZ eventually but at this stage just want a move towards it). Their claims for this round could probably be settled for $6,000 each a year.

Last year, Rob Fyfe got a 93% pay rise of $1.5 million, taking him from $1.6 million to $3.1 million.

It just so happens that 240 times $6,000 is just under $1.5 million.

So, if Rob Fyfe gives back his pay rise, 240 of his employees can get a fairer deal.

This isn’t a wind up. Why wouldn’t Fyfe be happy to work for the enormous sum of $1.6 million that he was happy to work for a year ago? The money is of no consequence to him but $6000 more a year for these low paid workers would make a real difference to their lives and avoid a strike no-one wants. 

Fyfe  loves being in the media. Loves portraying himself as some kind of Randian hero. He could make a capitalist messiah of himself with his noble sacrifice.

So, Rob, how about it?

12 comments on “Solution ”

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  1. BLiP 1
    23 April 2009 at 11:43 am

    Pissing in the wind, I know, but iimagine the benefits to our nation if just half the country’s CEO’s gave up half their pay for their workforce!

  2. Jasper 2
    23 April 2009 at 12:00 pm

    Nah BliP, it wouldn’t be pissing in the wind if you get one of your low paid lackeys to stand in front of you as shelter.

  3. Kevin Welsh 3
    23 April 2009 at 2:37 pm

    He won’t do it because he would have the piss taken out him mercilessly at the next Masters-of-the-Unverse get-together.

  4. Kevin Welsh 4
    23 April 2009 at 2:39 pm

    But seriously, did he have to go on strike and negotiate for months on end to get his $1.5 Mill?

    If ever there were those in doubt that New Zealand is a classless society, then this is a perfect example of why it isn’t.

  5. jimbo 5
    23 April 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Seriously, do you guys really think this sort of nonsense (i.e. the original post) is in any way relevant?

  6. libertyscott 6
    24 April 2009 at 3:26 am

    I believe Air NZ managed its fuel hedging cleverly enough to not be facing near bankruptcy and also has acquired new 777-300ERs for a very competitive rate. Getting hedging wrong could have cost NZ over $100m, making Fyfe’s salary nothing in comparison.

    Fyfe earned his pay because he has helped keep this small, highly pressured airline afloat under appalling conditions (collapse of inbound travel, rampant competition on routes to Australia and Europe, and increased domestic maintrunk competition).

    Given that taxpayers own this thanks to Dr Cullen’s own refusal to accept (Asian) foreign investment for the airline, we should all be lucky that it has been managed well by Fyfe and Norris before him.

    I would suggest given Fyfe’s record with Air NZ he could happily be picked up for significantly more money to run a whole host of beleagured airlines.

  7. Scotty 7
    24 April 2009 at 8:42 am

    Liberty – you will find AirNZ hedged their fuel at ridiculously high levels (in the region of $110 a barrel). Given the current cost of fuel is in the range of $50 a barrel I would say Air NZ’s hugh losses can be associated to that. Lets not also forget they spent $60 million on udgrading their aircraft. Although the upgrade was necessary, between the upgrades and the very silly fuel hedging the profit would have been in the vacinity of $100 million and not the $21 million announced. Should the Zeal crew suffer for the errors of others???

  8. Jo Botherer 8
    24 April 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Because you are saying things negative to the company, I hereby lock this discussion and becalm all who sail in the good ship “Free Speech”. Damn! Wrong forum!

    • Jo Botherer 8.1
      24 April 2009 at 9:09 pm

      My Furher, Mr Fyfe, inherited a fully refinanced airline off that nice Mr Norris. All Mr Fyfe has done since is ask the unions to restructure his expensive consultants recommendations and upset most of his staff with threats of job cuts. Three or more times has this same strategy been used in the last three years. We all think how clever he is. Everyone, that is, that are not contracted to fawn over him and lay prostrate at his worthy feet. He always has to have a large group around him who say “That’s a great idea Boss!”

      • Jo Botherer 8.1.1
        26 April 2009 at 8:03 am

        Correction of confusing text: Everyone, thinks he’s clever but only those who are contracted to fawn over him and lay prostrate at his worthy feet.

  9. Jo Botherer 9
    25 April 2009 at 10:24 am

    Clever Mr Fyfe (otherwise known as Fyfe the Knife) employed an engineering manager to close down all of Air NZ’s Engineering in Auckland and Christchurch, nice Mr Chrish Nashenstein. His greatest claim to fame is that he has closed down most of the aircraft engineering facilities he has run. Then Clever Mr Knyfe and Chrish employed Bearing Point consultants to assist in closing down engineering. Bearing Point pointed out that AirNZ had a nice little engineering business going and they would be fools to let it go. So Bearing Point was let go, but AT Kearney were saying what we wanted to hear, that we should close down the engineering facilities in NZ and outsource to the rest of the world. That upstart EPMU employed their own consultants and proved that engineering was best done in NZ faster cheaper and more competently. Chrish was devistated. He would have to run an aviation engineering facility instead of closing it down and walking away. Clever Mr Knyfe could not justify increasing costs to outsource so had to grudgingly agree and pretend it was his idea to go through this robust process. Unhappilily many top engineers walked anyway due to the perceived undermining of their mana. EPMU, I hate a smart arse! Oh and the AMEA I hate you too! And to top it off, this past financial year, engineering poured 41 million into Air NZs bottom line only to have the airline lose half of it by posting an all up profit of 24 million. Nice Chrish was supposed to leave and Andrew McMaster who is a proper engineer was going to take over. But Chrish somehow hung on despite nearly grounding the airline during the last engineer’s pay round only to be rescued by clever Mr Knyfe who gave him a bollocking. Andrew Mcmaster got bored with waiting and left for Canada to start up an engineering division for an airline closed down by Chrish Nashenstein. (probably). I hate the EPMU!!!

  10. Jo Botherer 10
    27 April 2009 at 9:35 pm

    Getting back to the Zeal 320 dispute… who here agrees its unfair to dress up a group of cabin crew who are paid 23% less in the same AirNZ uniforms, Aircraft owned and operated and registered by Air NZ. Maintained by AirNZ. Piloted by AirNZ crew. if only we had more time all the cabin crew should have been renegotiated to the lower pay rate, all crew to be Zeal. If you thinks its unfair I will not allow you to comment, Your right to free speech will be locked or deleted.