24 Oct 2005

Vanuatu Workers Union delays plans for street demonstration over airline

4:14 pm on 24 October 2005

Vanuatu's National Workers Union says it's agreed to delay its decision on whether to hold a street demonstration over its dispute with Air Vanuatu until next week.

This follows a request from the Minister of Finance, Moana Carcasses, for the union to give the airline's shareholder representatives more time to meet to discuss issues concerning the carrier.

The Union still has plans to take to the streets over last month's sacking of 26 staff by Air Vanuatu, and hasn't ruled out strike action against management at the troubled airline.

The union's general-secretary, Ephraim Kalsakau, says Mr Carcasses has told him he has secured the Prime Minister's commitment to address the issue when he returns from the Pacific Forum next week.

"That we will meet on Monday week, and that is the three shareholders, management, board and the union. I told him (the finance minister) that seeing as he has been actively going out to help us, we would shelve plans for one week but definitely this should be the last week that we shall shelve plans to go out on the streets."

Ephraim Kalsakau