An incensed General Workers’ Union yesterday said it was “unacceptable” for Air Malta’s management to “threaten” workers with forced redundancies if an agreement was not reached on the restructuring process.
The union was reacting to an Air Malta statement issued on Thursday evening in which the airline warned that talks had reached an impasse.
The airline said that, after several months of talks, management would bypass the GWU and the Union of Cabin Crew and inform workers directly about its restructuring proposals.
Air Malta is expected to cut 500 jobs in a restructuring exercise necessary to save the airline from bankruptcy.
Management said it could resort to forced redundancies if workers did not agree with the package proposed by the company and warned it could not allow the lack of agreement with the two unions to hold up its plans.
Sources said the last meeting between the airline and the unions took place on Tuesday.
The restructuring proposals include voluntary retirement schemes and new working conditions for the remaining employees.
But in a statement, the GWU disagreed with what it described as the company’s unorthodox method of addressing workers directly before the unions are allowed to call a meeting for their members.
The GWU said it had scheduled a meeting for Air Malta employees for November 21 during which workers would decide by secret vote whether to accept the airline’s proposals.
Employees working on the day would be given the chance to cast their vote a day later.
“The GWU has always made it clear that it was not ready to give Air Malta’s management a blank cheque to do what they liked with workers’ employment conditions,” the union said.
The GWU requested an urgent meeting with Finance Minister Tonio Fenech, who is politically responsible for Air Malta.
The airline intends to start its information sessions next week.
“We want the employees to know what the company’s offer is, what their future is and the consequences of not agreeing to the package of change measures,” Air Malta chief executive Peter Davies said.
He added that the company had put a lot of effort into getting “fair and reasonable” payout schemes for employees. “The offers we have proposed are generous and treat people fairly.”
The retirement schemes had to be out on August 1 but the company extended the talks by three months.
Mr Davies said the other two unions involved at Air Malta – the Airline Pilots Association and the Union of Airline Engineers – were aware of the company’s financial difficulties and discussions were moving “in the right direction”.
The Union Ħaddiema Magħ-qudin, which is not a recognised union at Air Malta, expressed regret at the fact that talks between the management and the two unions broke down at such an advanced stage.
It urged the government to bring the two sides together because the situation only led to more anxiety among workers.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com