All Air Malta ground staff will be transferred to a new public company that will be servicing the national airline, the Times of Malta is informed.

Although the plans were communicated to the workers involved during meetings last week, a spokesman for the General Workers’ Union, which represents them, said yesterday it was still “a proposal”, which the GWU had not accepted yet.

The meetings with the different sections of ground staff – ranging from passenger handlers to loaders – were addressed by Joe Galea, the airline’s new CEO. He said the company would be hiving off its ground services and would then buy the service from a new government company. All staff, including many part-timers, would be transferred onto the books of the new company and would no longer be considered as Air Malta personnel.

Air Malta has had a ground services department ever since it was set up more than 40 years ago. However, according to an as yet unpublished business plan, presented to the government by Alitalia, it will have to shed most of its workforce, the majority being carried by the public payroll.

Several ground handling staff members yesterday vented their frustration about the deal, accusing the GWU of “betrayal”.

This newspaper is also informed that a petition was raised by ground handling staff asking the Prime Minister and the GWU not to proceed with the deal, with employees demanding other alternatives.

We have been put in a position where we don’t have an option but to do what the company and the GWU have decided behind our backs

“We have been put in a position where we don’t have an option but to do what the company and the GWU have decided behind our backs. This is dictatorship,” a loader who has worked with Air Malta for the past 20 years said.

“We want to at least be offered the possibility of being employed directly with the government as happened with Enemalta workers. We don’t want to be transferred to a handling company as this limits our options. What happens if the government decides to sell the handling company then,” another worker argued.

The GWU’s general secretary, Josef Bugeja, denied that the union had agreed to the move but acknowledged that this was one of the proposals being made by the government.

“Let me stress that we did not sign or agreed to anything. If this proposal is to be accepted, we will first have to go to the workers involved and have a vote on it,” Mr Bugeja insisted, acknowledging that a petition from the workers was received.

When it was pointed out that, on Monday, the GWU issued a joint statement with the government saying an agreement was reached on the future of GWU members at the national airline, Mr Bugeja clarified that the only agreement so far was that none of its members would be losing their job and that they would keep their present take-home pay.

Ground staff will have vote on proposal

“However, we have not signed anything and this is only an understanding subject to any future agreement which the government may reach with Alitalia. It will only be at that stage that we will negotiate the details and sign any agreement,” Mr Bugeja said.

Air Malta workers who spoke to the Times of Malta accused the government of “divide and rule tactics”.

“They [the government] are trying to reach separate agreements with pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground staff giving the impression that everyone is settled and happy with what they are concluding with Alitalia and Etihad,” an airline captain said.

“The reality is that no section knows what the other section is agreeing to and it seems that all these discussions are just thin air,” an engineer said.

The Sunday Times of Malta reported that, according to the business plan submitted by Alitalia, Air Malta’s operations would be rerouted southbound, opening new routes to North Africa while slashing a third if its European routes.

The plan also includes a financial model whereby Alitalia will not be making any fresh capital injection in the company for its 49 per cent stake.

It is also being proposed that the government shoulders all Air Malta’s liabilities, which exceed €60 million.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com