Industrial action threat at airport recedes

Plans to order an all-out strike at the Malta International Airport by the Union Haddiema Maghqudin have been put on hold while talks take place over a new shift system.

A meeting between the MIA management, the UHM and the General Workers' Union yesterday morning provided a basis for a "substantial agreement", sources told The Times.

However, when contacted, both the UHM and the GWU said they would rather not comment at this stage, since they were at a very delicate stage of the negotiations.

But both UHM deputy general secretary Joe Grillo and GWU section secretary Emanuel Zammit described yesterday's meeting as "positive", adding it was the first of a series.

Mr Grillo said further meetings, expected to take place as from next week, should lead to an agreement.

On Saturday, the UHM warned it would order a paralysing strike at the airport if no agreement over the deployment of shifts - one of the most important issues of the collective agreement for 2004, 2005 and 2006 being negotiated - was reached during a meeting on Monday. A "brainstorming" session that day between the union and MIA was said to have set the basis for an agreement and yesterday's meeting aimed to continue building on that.

The disagreement revolves around the fact that the MIA management wants to transfer some people from the night shift to the day shift since only 30 per cent of air traffic takes place at night.

The new system was introduced on Tuesday on a temporary basis until agreement is reached.