Members were notified yesterday that the facilitated mediation process is on track with the final report and recommendations due this afternoon. The final report will determine how and when it can be provided to members and publicised.
The facilitated mediation process was agreed between the NZPFU and FENZ and jointly announced with the Minister Jan Tinetti. The NZPFU suspended the ongoing industrial action (known as the pink omnibus industrial action) which commenced on the 13th June 2022, withdrew the planned stoppages and agreed not to give notice of further strike action so that the facilitated mediation process conducted by Graeme Colgan could proceed. FENZ withdrew its application in the Employment Relations Authority. The date for the final report and recommendations was extended to today (14th October).
As of today there is no hindrance to the NZPFU lifting the suspension to resume the omnibus bans. As the omnibus bans were only suspended, they can be brought back on immediately. However, should the NZPFU determine o take any other industrial action, including stoppages, then the required notice periods and processes will have to be undertaken.
The NZPFU National Committee of Management has decided to lift the suspension of the omnibus bans (attached) as of 0800 hours tomorrow.
- Please ensure that the industrial action does not commence before 0800 hours.
- Please read the attached document to refresh understanding of the bans of the various work and not complying with particular policies. This is only the industrial action that was suspended and therefore is resuming.
- Please support one another in the industrial action. It can take a bit of time for some members to get back into the rhythm of the bans.
The lifting of the suspension notice is not an indication of the NZPFU views of the Graeme Colgan report. The parties have been in a bargaining process for 16 months and the NZPFU believes the continued industrial action is necessary to get FENZ back to negotiations to reach a settlement.
Recently the NZPFU attempted to set up a meeting with FENZ this week to at least discuss the party’s positions on the Graeme Colgan report, determine any areas of agreement and to determine a process for negotiating outstanding matters. As the parties received a draft report and recommendations last Sunday, and had to determine a position to respond to that draft, we believed meeting with urgency was reasonable.
FENZ replied stating they would not be able to meet before the 27th October 2022 (due to their processes to consider the recommendations and determine their position, and because a “key team member” would be overseas shortly).
The NZPFU is not going to tolerate FENZ’s inability or refusal to make the resolution of this bargaining a priority.
We will be meeting with the Minister next week to discuss the NZPFU’s position on the final report and to outline our views on the way forward.
NEXT STEPS
Saturday:
- 0800 hours the omnibus bans resume.
- The National Committee will meet to discuss to discuss the Final Report and to finalise the Union’s position and plan moving forward.
- Later, a national notice will be sent out to update all members detailing when we can send out the final report and recommendations, and the NZPFU analysis including our view of the way forward.
Sunday:
- The NZPFU has organised membership meetings to be held by video conference. The invitations to the zoom meetings have been sent out in groups of Locals and will be held throughout the day.
In unity,
Wattie Watson
National Secretary
