26 Aug 2005

Air Vanuatu workers expect to go to arbitration with employers from next week

3:21 pm on 26 August 2005

Vanuatu's National Workers Union says airline workers in an dispute with their employers expect to go to arbitration from next week.

Air Vanuatu workers went on a temporary strike on Monday following a breakdown in discussions over a collective bargaining agreement, grievances over job security and severance pay.

The secretary general for the National Workers Union, Ephraim Kalsakau, says workers temporarily ended the strike after management agreed to further negotiations.

But after a planned meeting on Tuesday was cancelled when management failed to turn up, the union was told the board needed to first discuss the workers' grievances among themselves.

Mr Kalsakau says the board will probably meet next Wednesday...

"From there onwards they will then give consent for arbitration. So as far as we're concerned, Air Vanuatu has already consented but we're allowing them to sort out their problems, and then come to meet us in arbitration."

The secretary general for the National Workers Union, Ephraim Kalsakau