Air Malta denies violating collective agreement

Air Malta this afternoon denied claims by the GUW that it was breaching the collective agreement signed with the union.

It said that any claim by the GWU that Air Malta has actually admitted to having breached the Collective Agreement was untrue.

The dispute is over the filling of promotions, with the union insisting that in terms of the agreement, workers who have been working at a higher grade for more than a year should be promoted.

“Although the airline feels that the practice of direct promotion via a period of substitution to a higher grade is inherently immoral and unjust, Air Malta has and is still fully abiding to all clauses of the agreement including the clause relevant to substitution,” the company said.

“Thus, any industrial action taken by the GWU in the light of the above will result in the Union going against the collective agreement.”

The airline said it was in favour of a system whereby vacant posts were filled through the process of a call for applications which was first issued internally. “This system ensures better corporate governance giving all employees within the airline a level playing, is more fair and transparent, increases job mobility within the organisation and enhances skills and experience when filling up vacant posts.”

It said a number of calls for applications for vacant posts were in the process of being issued internally. As a result of this dispute these calls have been temporarily set on hold until the airline holds discussions with the GWU.

A conciliation meeting between the airline and the GWU has been set for tomorrow.