It was a trade-off in which money ultimately won out over ‘health’.
The end of the dispute between Air Malta and its cabin crew over the replacement of their on-board ‘healthy meal’ with a small ‘baguette’ sandwich was only possible after the company offered flight attendants a cut of in-flight sales, Times of Malta can reveal.
Sources at the national carrier said the Union of Cabin Crew lifted its industrial action last week after receiving assurances from the airline that cabin staff would start receiving a five per cent commission on sales of food and other items purchased by passengers.
“This is similar to what already happens on low-cost airlines,” the sources said, referring to airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet.
At the beginning of the year, Air Malta – which is trying to cut costs – stopped offering its free hot meals on board and started giving a bread roll to passengers instead, branding it a baguette. Passengers who want more from in-flight catering now have to pay for it.
However, the roll-out of the plan hit an immediate snag: since the same arrangement would apply to cabin crew, the union argued that this was in breach of their collective agreement, which entitled them to a healthy, suitable meal during flights.
As the union declared a dispute, it ordered the crew not to sell any snacks or drinks on board.
Following a union annual general meeting last week and an address by chairman Marisa Micallef, the majority of crew voted to lift the action.
Times of Malta can confirm that cabin staff have now accepted the baguette in exchange for their new commission.
However, contacted by this newspaper, both the union and airline were tight-lipped over the compromise deal.
While it avoided confirming the agreement directly, Air Malta said that “such agreements are a result of several discussions where both parties try to find common ground.
“One thus needs to take into consideration the whole agreement and the gains achieved,” the company said.
A spokesman for the union of cabin crew said he would like to stick to the company’s official declarations.
By doing away with the hot-meal service, Air Malta hopes to save some €8 million over the remaining years of a contract it has with Sky Gourmet Ltd. The caterers were given a five-year extension to the contract, providing the bread roll and other catering facilities.
Under a five-year restructuring programme agreed with the EU, Air Malta is obliged to return to the black by November but the company was still running at a loss last year.
If it fails, Air Malta will have to fold or find a private injection of funds.