- The crew handles firefighting, rescue, marine response and medical care at the airport and Manukau Harbour.
- Members sought 5.5% above the market median after the SP10 job evaluation.
- The training requirement rises from one five-day Singapore trip annually to two from next year.
E tū withdrew its strike notice on November 13, 2026, removing planned fire-service walkouts at Auckland Airport on November 24 and November 27. The union said progress in talks produced an improved offer for members to consider.
Flights are expected to operate normally, and the 69 Airport Emergency Services (AES) firefighters and emergency responders will vote on the offer at union meetings early next week. The decision puts the threatened disruption aside while bargaining continues.
Auckland Airport chief operations officer Chloe Surridge said passengers, airlines, freight operators and businesses could proceed with their plans. “People can now travel as planned,” she said.
The union is taking an improved offer back to members
The strike notice was withdrawn after discussions between the airport and the union advanced. The members have not yet voted, and the terms of the improved offer have not been released.
Mat Danaher, E tū assistant national secretary, said the union would put the offer to its membership rather than proceed with industrial action.
“We are pleased with the progress that has been made this week, and we are able to withdraw the strike notice to take the improved offer back to our membership.”
The airport and the union said they remained committed to working constructively and in good faith toward an agreement for the AES team. The withdrawal resolves the immediate risk of the planned stoppages, not the underlying bargaining dispute.
The walkouts would have covered the whole emergency team
The notice applied to all 69 workers in the airport’s emergency service. Each proposed stoppage was scheduled to last 24 hours, starting at 6am. Both domestic and international services faced potential cancellations or diversions.
The team provides aircraft firefighting, rescue, marine response and medical care across the airport and Manukau Harbour. Qualified rescue and firefighting staff must be available for flights to operate, Surridge had said before the notice was withdrawn.
That requirement put travellers and businesses reliant on the airport at risk of disruption. The airport had warned that cancellations or diversions could affect passengers, airlines, freight operations, exporters and other businesses. That threat has now been lifted for the two planned strike dates.
Workers challenged the pay assessment and the cost of overseas training
The dispute followed an earlier offer that members rejected after voting overwhelmingly for strike action. Workers sought pay that reflected the physical, psychological and operational demands of emergency response work, as well as compensation for mandatory training overseas.
After the previous bargaining round, the roles were assessed through SP10, a general job-evaluation system from Strategic Pay. Members argued that the process did not account for dangerous environments, trauma, shift work and the need to remain ready for emergencies.
Jason Gannon, an E tū delegate, said workers wanted the assessment applied fairly. He said the request was “5.5% above the market median.” Danaher also said members were not arguing that the evaluation system was broken; they wanted the airport to demonstrate that it had been applied fairly to their work.
The union pointed to the airport’s financial results in arguing that it could improve the offer. Danaher cited $309 million in underlying profit and $224.9 million in dividends last year.
Training is the other major point of disagreement. The union said the airport’s live-fire training facility closed after years of underinvestment, leaving firefighters to travel to Singapore for five days each year to meet Civil Aviation Authority requirements. From next year, the requirement becomes two five-day trips annually.
Members say the airport has not properly compensated workers and their families for that time away. Danaher called for a live-fire training facility in Auckland and compensation until it is available. The claim reflects the union’s position in negotiations.
Members are expected to vote at union meetings early next week
Surridge said members would vote on the outcome of talks early next week. Danaher said they would consider the improved offer and cast their votes at union meetings.
The vote will decide whether members accept the revised proposal; the strike notice’s withdrawal did not settle the agreement. The union has described reaching a resolution without industrial action as its preferred path.
AES members are expected to consider the offer and vote at meetings early next week.
