Air Malta pilots are still waiting for a date for a “last-ditch” attempt at a compromise before resorting to industrial action which could cripple the airline.
The pilots’ union requested the meeting following a landmark decision by a judge last week who threw out an attempt by Air Malta to stop its pilots from taking any action over the deadlock in negotiations on a new collective agreement.
“We have requested a meeting but received no reply,” Airline Pilots’ Association president Domenic Azzopardi told the Times of Malta when contacted.
Last week, both sides met for talks but made no progress. They agreed to allow the court to decide whether pilots could take industrial action.
Now that the judge ruled in their favour, the pilots requested a meeting with the airline management in an attempt to reach some form of compromise over their expired collective agreement.
“We will keep on waiting and hoping, as long as our members allow us to,” Captain Azzopardi said, as he explained how the association committee was under a lot of pressure from its members.
“They want to get closer to what their European counterparts and future strategic partner’s pilots are getting. They want to work more,” he said.
The Times of Malta recently reported how Air Malta pilots want their salaries to match those of the other pilots within the Etihad Group, the company that has a 49 per cent stake in Alitalia.
Alitalia is currently in talks with the government over the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in Air Malta. The Etihad Group of the United Arab Emirates has a significant minority stake in Air Berlin.
According to court documents seen by the Times of Malta, the pitch was made by Capt. Azzopardi during a meeting with Air Malta management on June 27.
Capt. Azzopardi is recorded saying in the minutes of the meeting that it was “in the general interest” to ensure all pilots within the Etihad Group were paid equally.
Capt. Azzopardi argued this was necessary to “avoid claims that any group is being preferred or attributed more work owing to lower salaries”.
His comment was followed by that of Capt. Chris Agius, another union official, who referred to the higher salaries being paid to Air Berlin pilots. Former president George Abela, who was brought in by the government to facilitate negotiations, chaired the meeting.
Meanwhile, the four unions representing Air Malta workers yesterday called on the company to give them the initial draft of its business plan or draft proposals of any agreement there may be. In a statement, they pointed out they had not agreed on any plan or collective agreement with the company.
The unions also asked for clarification about statements by the company’s lawyer, Aaron Galea Cavallazzi, who in court warned that the company was very “vulnerable”. He said Air Malta was about €66 million in the red and may not survive unless a strategic partner was found by October.
Workers and their families, the unions said, had the right to be informed about their future as soon as possible.
The right to strike is balanced by a right of employers to effect lock-outs, and in both instances no wages are payable for the duration of such actions.- Employers' Association
The Malta Employers' Association (MEA) said it had absolutely no objection to the court ruling confirming the unions’ right to strike.
It said trade unions must make an objective assessment of the ultimate possible harm, including company closures and job losses, that a strike action, under critical circumstances, may cause.
"It is up to the unions to determine what objectives they set and what price they are determined to pay to achieve them. The right to strike is balanced by a right of employers to effect lock-outs, and in both instances no wages are payable for the duration of such actions," it said.
"It is not ruled out that drastic industrial action may, in particular instances, cause irreparable harm to a company, with dire consequences. Irreparable harm too may be caused when Unions, as it is within their right, resort to partial industrial action. An employer too, in such circumstances, may react to defend his interests. It is also the duty of an employer to commercially responsibly manage a company," it said.
"The MEA is of the opinion that the current industrial impasse at Air Malta should be handled by the Unions with calm restraint and by the Employer with an engaging, open and informed dialogue. It is to be kept in mind that Air Malta is not just about the company’s employees."