As Air Malta sank, 18 new cabin crew recruited

Taken on as full-timers mid-way through last winter, deep in Air Malta’s lean tourism season, the 18 new cabin crew staff had been previously employed on a part-time basis – some for as long as 10 years.

MaltaToday is informed that the amount of hours the part-timers were asked to work entitled them to recognition as full-time workers, with the benefits and conditions that come with it.

Following legal negotiations with Air Malta’s Human Resources department, they were taken on as full-time workers in their own right – a move that raised eyebrows and caused consternation among existing staff.

“My impression was that we weren’t hiring more staff,” Cabin Crew Union President David Sargent said when contacted by MaltaToday. “To be honest, it raised questions.” He confirmed that the 18 cabin crew workers are still employed on a full-time basis.

He however declined to speculate on Air Malta’s consistency with regards to its policy of cutting down its workforce following the austerity approach adopted in the memorandum of understanding signed by staff as part of the 2004 reform.

Explaining that the union was not involved in the hiring of the 18 cabin crew workers as full-timers, he nevertheless pointed out that since 2004, Air Malta had hired more workers in certain ‘sectors’, namely ground staff and loaders, something that “everyone knows.”

“The company has many sections. Some might be undermanned while some others are bloated.” He pointed out how in 2004, Air Malta had a workforce of 1,900 while today, it has a workforce of 1,300. “Overall, staff is being shed,” Sargent said.

He refrained from speculating whether these 18 cabin crew would be cut as part of the upcoming reform of the national carrier – pointing out that there is no finalised plan as yet.

Asked whether he believes that the current cabin crew complement is adequate, he said that “considering the current workload, the current complement is well-suited.”

He however added that it remains to be seen whether the summer season would bring about an increase in workload that would necessitate the hiring of additional seasonal part-time staff.

At present, the government is in talks with opposition, unions, and industry specialists in a bid to save the national airline from imminent disaster.

Following the scrapping of a €100 million capital injection into the airline to allow it to purchase eight leased planes, a €52 million rescue fund was allowed, on condition that it is supported by a restructuring process that must obtain EU approval.