Air Malta schemes out within a few days

Air Malta workers will, in the coming days, receive details and application forms for the voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes, according to the company’s chief executive.

“We are dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s with the unions and I expect workers to receive personalised communication from the company over the weekend or the beginning of next week,” Peter Davies said yesterday.

Mr Davies acknowledged that the length of time it took to conclude the negotiations on the schemes led to anxiety among employees.

Over the past week, he said, the airline held a series of meetings with employees where technical details were explained.

Mr Davies was present at the Centrecom call centre in the old Luqa airport terminal where the Prime Minister yesterday paid a courtesy visit. The call centre handles Air Malta’s telephone queries by clients.

Air Malta has to shed about 500 workers in a wide-ranging restructuring exercise meant to make the airline viable again.

The voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes had to be issued in August but talks with the four unions representing airline staff dragged on for more than three months after the deadline.

The schemes are expected to cost the airline about €20 million.

Last year, the company received €52 million in emergency bailout funds from the government and the European Commission approved the state aid on condition that the airline is restructured.

The Commission still has to give its verdict on the plan submitted by the government but the airline has gone ahead implementing some aspects of the reform.