Pilots ‘have lost trust’ in Air Malta management

The pilots union has declared that it has lost trust in Air Malta’s management and has accused its chairperson Maria Micallef of launching an “unreasonable attack” on them.

ALPA also urged Air Malta to instantly publish the remuneration packages of its senior management.

The union’s statement follows Air Malta’s decision to go to court to request a warrant of prohibitory injunction to prevent the union from ordering a strike. The case is set to be heard on 22 July.

“The application constitutes a clear threat to the right of free association of workers, as well as to their entitlement to safeguard as a last option these rights by resorting to industrial action,” ALPA secretary John De Carlo said. “This right is upheld not only by Maltese law, but also by international law, whereby workers’ rights are protected and deemed unalienable.”

He denied reports in the Sunday Times that the union has demanded a €50,000 salary increase, insisting that such claims they were “relayed by stealth” to the media, so as to alienate public opinion against Air Malta pilots.

“Air Malta pilots have long been held in high esteem in terms of the standards of work ethic and a track history with a high security record level that speaks for itself,” De Carlo said. “On the other hand, Air Malta’s management is burdened with a history of erroneous business decisions amongst which management staff emoluments which ran into the thousands of euro and which have contributed to bringing the national airline to the precarious state it is today. These unwise decisions include Air Malta’s decision to reduce its aircraft fleet which in itself resulted in an immediate lowering of Air Malta’s market share.”

He urged Air Malta to publish the remuneration packages of its senior management, so that the public “would be in a better position to evaluate the dispute on facts rather than plain conjecture.”

“We are disappointed and pre-occupied at the manner in which its negotiations with Air Malta have been handled, even more now that confidential documentation such as the minutes of these minutes, as yet unapproved by ALPA, have been made public before the negotiations have been amicably concluded,” De Carlo said. “Our members are intent on not succumbing to pressures and threats exerted by Air Malta and shall be contesting its prohibitory injunction in the Maltese courts with the aim of showing those attempting to silence ALPA that this is not tenable in a democratic society.”