‘Strike will jeopardise Air Malta and tourism’

There are no contingency plans yet to mitigate the impact of a proposed pilots’ strike at Air Malta although, according to the government, efforts will be made to ensure affected passengers are offered alternative travel dates.

Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said that if the strike did take place people who already booked their flights in or out of Malta should have the facility to change them to the earliest alternative date to ensure minimum disruption.

“To a large extent this is beyond our control and within the control of Air Malta’s booking office but one has to see how the situation develops and plans will be made or adapted accordingly,” Dr de Marco said when asked whether the government had any contingency plans.

Pilots have voted to ground Air Malta’s fleet on July 16 over the airline’s redundancy plans. They are insisting the airline renegotiate third party contracts including passenger charges paid to Malta International Airport before sacking employees.

The airline’s management is insisting that contracts are being reviewed, including charges levied by MIA.

The four unions at Air Malta yesterday met for the first time to seek common ground as more organisations representing tourism operators called on pilots to reconsider their decision.

Dr de Marco said the airline’s financial situation was precarious and strike action would only serve to “further jeopardise” Air Malta and the tourism industry.

“The mere talk of industrial action has caused serious concern among individual travellers and tour operators. The longer the uncertainty, the more likely that cancellations and diversions of bookings will start,” he said, calling on all parties to remain committed towards settling differences and finding effective solutions.

In separate statements but all sounding the same message, the Malta Employers’ Association, the Gozo Tourism Association, the Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents and the federation representing English-language schools urged the pilots’ association not to go on strike.

Disrupting Air Malta’s service would not only have an impact on the beleaguered airline, they said, but also on the rest of the economy and tourism in particular.

“It is clear that unpopular decisions have been postponed for years and the situation has become unsustainable requiring drastic corrective action to save the airline. On the other hand, it is pointless and irresponsible to ignore stark realities and threaten a withdrawal of labour that can only lead to a worse situation for the airline, the country and the employees working at Air Malta,” the MEA said, calling for social dialogue to prevail.

On Wednesday, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry also called on pilots to desist from striking.

Unions in intensive talks

The four unions represented at Air Malta are not satisfied with the separate meetings they have had with the airline’s management, according to John Bencini, president of Forum, which embraces a number of unions,.

Speaking after presiding over an intensive two-hour meeting between the Airline Pilots’ Association, the Union of Cabin Crew, the Union of Engineers and the General Workers’ Union, Mr Bencini said another meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.

“The four unions gave an update on the latest talks they had with management and it transpires they were information sessions rather than negotiations,” Mr Bencini said.

Air Malta’s management is holding separate meetings with the unions to discuss various aspects of the restructuring plan but unions are still officially in the dark as to the number of job cuts in the different sections.

Unions are inching towards adopting a common front in the face of a restructuring exercise that will involve 511 job losses from all Air Malta sections.

“Although the unions retain their autonomy it was my wish to bring them together because, at the end of the day, they are all in the same airplane,” Mr Bencini said.

Asked whether the other unions will be attending the protest on July 15 called by the pilots, Mr Bencini said a final decision would be taken tomorrow because some unions had to report back to their executive committees.

Pilots, cabin crew and engineers are members of Forum, unlike the GWU.

When contacted, GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said the meeting was “positive”.

Asked whether the GWU would attend the protest on July 15, Mr Zarb said the decision would be taken today.