GWU to support protest but not strike action

The General Workers Union and the Union of Cabin Crew will support a protest by Air Malta pilots but have not decided to support any strike action.

ALPA have said they will ground aircraft on 16 July unless the finance ministry looks into contracts between the airline and the Malta International Airport.

ALPA president Dominic Azzopardi says Air Malta is negatively affected by contracts it has with the privately-owned MIA and low-cost carriers which benefit from millions in tax-funded ‘route support schemes’.

The unions today met with Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and Air Malta chief executive Peter Davies. They are protesting at the scale of redundancies and cuts to be made at the national airline, which employs 1,600.

ALPA’s threat of industrial action is unprecedented in its kind, especially since it represents the most vociferous form of industrial actions so far. ALPA is insisting that before dismissing any pilots, Air Malta must make substantial savings by renegotiating contracts, particularly with Malta International Airport. “The time has come and we are telling government that enough is enough, and unless drastic changes are made to the way things work at Air Malta, we are all going to lose,” Azzopardi said.

Today the Federation of English-language schools, the tour operators’ federation FATTA, and the Malta Employers Association joined the chorus of disapproval started yesterday by the Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

Their statements were similar in putting the blame at the feet of politicians, but warning ALPA that grounding aircraft would be economically disastrous for the island at the peak of its tourism season.

FELTOM said decision to strike during the busiest time of the year will only serve to further damage the airline and seriously impact Malta’s tourism sector. “Disruption to airline services will drive tourists elsewhere, threatening a number of jobs in the Maltese tourism sector.”

The English-language sector accounts for 10% of all tourism bed-nights, the federation said. “We appeal to ALPA to negotiate with the authorities to protect the employment of Air Malta employees as well as that of hundreds of Maltese workers who are dependent on the tourism sector.”

The Malta Employers Association said it was irresponsible of ALPA to ignore reality, but that it was clear that “unpopular decisions” had been postponed for years, leading to an unsustainable situation at Air Malta.

“Reducing the labour force, although inevitable, will not by itself remedy the condition facing the airline. Any decision to lay off people must be part of a wider strategy to revive the airline. It is imperative that this strategy has the input of all stakeholders and looks at all aspects of the airline’s operations.”

MEA said that ALPA’s actions would hurt the airline and thousands of other workers in the tourism industry. “This is definitely not in anyone’s interest.”

FATTA (the Federated Association of Travel & Tourism Agents) said that the agency community was fully sympathetic with the plight of Air Malta pilots, but that any strike action would compound the precarious situation the airline is in.

The Chamber of Commerce yesterday joined the hotels and restaurants’ lobby in appealing for an end to threats by Air Malta pilots of grounding aircraft. The Chamber said ALPA’s threats were ill-timed, disproportionate and “most irresponsible”. “They must not be short-sighted and resort to the negotiating table in an effort to unblock the situation through reason rather than destruction.”

Earlier, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said a strike by Air Malta pilots, scheduled for the 16 July, will put the national airline the employment of thousands in the tourism industry at risk.

“The MHRA is extremely concerned about the threat of industrial action by the Association of the Air Malta pilots (ALPA) which can have devastating results during what is considered to be a peak period for the tourism industry. The threat itself creates uncertainty amongst potential customers, who will think twice before booking with Air Malta,” MHRA president George Micallef said.