Why not just waive the security checks?

Stuff reports:

The Government is not ruling out intervening to keep planes in the air after threatened strike action by aviation security workers during the school holidays.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges confirmed Cabinet was briefed on contingency plans to keep airport security checks going if mediation to avert the strike failed.

While neither Bridges or Prime Minister John Key would spell out the options, Key confirmed outside staff could “potentially” be used to cover the gaps.

I have a better idea. Just let them strike and have no security checks for domestic flights during this period.

I’m far from convinced the cost of the security checks provide benefits anywhere near their cost. You need them for international flights but do we to fly Wellington to Christchurch? Many domestic flights don’t have them anyway, so I say let the staff strike, and we save money and have faster flights. Then hopefully we realise it is an unnecessary burden, and abolish them.

Labour leader Andrew Little said the suggestion that police or others might fill in was “union bashing”.

National had history for strike breaking under former prime minister’s Sid Holland and Rob Muldoon.

“No doubt they celebrated all that this weekend at their 80th birthday. But that would be classic National Party if they want to go back down that path, and in the end I think, most people expect the Government to turn to their employers and say ‘yep, we’ve got to treat you reasonably, treat you professionally, and sit round the table and achieve the settlement.”

Little said unions did not take this action lightly.

“It’s my experience that union members do not rush into taking industrial action. Most of them hate it. 

“They don’t like having to lose pay, when they think they’re being treated unjustly by their employer.”

Little still speaking as a union leader, not an aspiring Prime Minister. Always backs the unions. Imagine if he ran the Government – unions would have a field day.