The two 24-hour strikes planned at Auckland Airport on Tuesday 24 November and Friday 27 November will not go ahead.
The E tū union withdrew its strike notice for the airport's Airport Emergency Services (AES) team on Friday 13 November, according to a joint statement from E tū and Auckland Airport. The team is made up of the airport's firefighters and emergency responders.
"People can now travel as planned, whether they're heading away on holiday, travelling for work, or coming home to see family," Auckland Airport chief operations officer Chloe Surridge said.
Why did the strike threaten flights?
We reported earlier this week that the notice covered all 69 AES members, and that Auckland Airport said flights might have to be cancelled or diverted if the strikes went ahead. The airport is required to have qualified rescue and firefighting staff on duty at all times for flights to operate. Our earlier article has the background.
The airport had warned that tens of thousands of travellers could be affected. Each strike was due to start at 6am and run for 24 hours.
What changed?
E tū assistant national secretary Mat Danaher said the union had withdrawn the notice so it could take an improved offer back to members.
"Our members will consider the improved offer next week and vote on it at union meetings," he said in the joint statement. "As always, reaching a resolution without the need to take industrial action is the preferred path for everyone involved."
The dispute was about pay and compensation for overseas training. Danaher told RNZ earlier in the week that the workers wanted pay that recognised their specialist work, and fair compensation for the two five-day training trips to Singapore that firefighters must make each year to meet Civil Aviation Authority requirements.
Is it completely over?
Not yet. The members' vote is still to come. Surridge said there would be a vote on the outcome of the talks early next week.
What is settled is that the strikes notified for 24 and 27 November are off, because the notice they relied on has been withdrawn. Any future strike would need a new notice.
Both sides said they "remain committed to working constructively together and in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement".
Do I need to do anything about my booking?
If you changed or cancelled a flight because of the strike warning, check your airline's terms. Whether you can switch back without a fee depends on the airline and the fare you bought, and the airport has not announced any special arrangements.
If you left your booking as it was, the airport's message is that you can travel as planned. It is still worth making sure your airline has your current phone number and email, as that is how it will contact you about any other changes.
If you bought travel insurance specifically because of the strike, read the policy wording. Cover for strikes usually depends on when you bought the policy and whether the strike was already announced. Our article on a recent travel insurance ombudsman ruling also lists what to check in a policy before you fly home for Christmas.
Is the firefighter strike on 27 November different?
Yes. This is easy to mix up because both involve firefighters and both had 27 November in the plan.
The Auckland Airport dispute involves airport staff employed by Auckland Airport, represented by E tū. That strike is off.
A separate dispute between Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union covers paid firefighters across the country. The union has planned four 10-hour strikes, from 1pm to 11pm, the first on Friday 27 November.
As of Friday, that strike had not been called off. RNZ reported on 13 November that FENZ planned to rely mainly on volunteer firefighters during the stoppage, and that larger ladder trucks, chemical spill clean-up and complex rescues from crashed vehicles would not be available during a 10-hour strike.
FENZ national commander Megan Stiffler told RNZ there was "no guarantee we can get settlement by the 27th".
If you are in a city with career firefighters, FENZ's advice for strike periods is to take extra care with cooking and anything that could start a fire, check your smoke alarms, and call 111 in an emergency as usual.
