Air Malta may be facing industrial action in the coming weeks as the General Workers’ Union has registered an industrial dispute.
Although officially the GWU is quoting pending issues related to staff conditions as the reason for registering the dispute, sources at the airline told the Times of Malta that the real reason is that GWU’s members are being kept in complete darkness over their future.
The government, which owns the majority shareholding in the airline, is currently finalising a deal to sell a substantial stake in the company to Etihad Airways. The GWU, which represents hundreds of staff in many of the airline’s crucial areas, said that it could not continue to just “stand by and watch”.
GWU section secretary Sandro Vella yesterday confirmed that the dispute had been registered but did not want to comment further.
“We have a dispute but I will be in a better position to comment in the coming days as we are currently trying to find a solution,” he said.
In a strongly-worded letter sent to GWU members at Air Malta, seen by this newspaper, Mr Vella did not mince his words.
Stating that the union has been trying to settle issued relating to allowances, flexitime and others for a long time without any progress, he said the situation could not continue as this was “causing unjustified distinction [discrimination] within the various company sections.”
We cannot stand by and watch
In a probable dig at the airline’s pilots, who according to Mr Vella were paid €200,000 extra last year for working on their off days, Mr Vella said “we cannot stand and watch while some try to make hay when the sun has not as yet started to shine”.
“We have been patient because we strongly believe management needed time to take care of business, but we strongly believe Air Malta’s management should not be held to ransom by some few during this critical time,” the GWU section secretary wrote.
The industrial dispute will stay in force until management rectified the situation, the union warned, saying that the time had come for the management to stop these “unjustified situations”.
“Actions are stronger than words, and words are definitely not going to suffice any longer,” the GWU warned.
The industrial dispute arrives at one of the most sensitive junctures for the airline. The company’s management is planning to meet restructuring targets by the end of March, while the government is finalising a deal to sell part of the company to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. This partial privatisation will come with strings attached – including the airline’s operating headcount.
So far the government has not made any official announcement on the deal but has only said that negotiations are ongoing. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat indicated that a deal was imminent at the end of last year, saying that the same model used for Enemalta would be applied.
The government had sold a 33 per cent stake to China’s Shanghai Electric while the company had to shed almost a third of its workforce.
ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com