Air Malta pilots threaten strike action

Air Malta pilots are threatening to go on strike as they accuse the company of delaying tactics in talks on their collective agreement.

The Airline Pilots Association said its members voted in favour of industrial action, which could also include withdrawal of service, after the airline failed to react to the union’s proposals on work conditions.

Last month, Air Malta sacked 69 out of its 134 pilots and blaming the union for being intransigent at a time when the airline is facing financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALPA said on Thursday it forwarded its proposals on 11 July but to date the company has not provided its views, adding that such delaying tactics were “unacceptable”.

“It is clear that Air Malta is negotiating in bad faith and that its only interest is to undermine collective conditions of employment through opportunistic and predatory behaviour,” ALPA said.

ALPA said it was baffled by management’s “utter lack of direction”, accusing it of being incapable to conduct and conclude negotiations with employee representatives.

“ALPA has been forced to register a number of industrial disputes relating to breaches of our members’ conditions of employment, including the unilateral and arbitrary termination of employment, breach of rights enshrined in the collective agreement currently in force, as well as the irregularities relating to the negotiation procedure preceding the declaration of collective redundancies,” the union said.

The union said its members voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of taking industrial action, including possible withdrawal of service.