A trade union has filed a judicial protest over plans by Malta International Airport to outsource a number of operations.

The Union Ħaddiema Magħuqdin filed the protest yesterday on behalf of employees working at MIA’s customer service department and the information technology and information management and networks units.

It said that, after being informed by the company it was planning to outsource some of its operations, a number of informal meetings were held with both the UĦM and also with representatives of the General Workers’ Union.

After the meetings, a verification exercise began to establish which of the two unions represented the majority of workers.

The UĦM said the GWU, however, refused to attend further meetings and this led to management cancelling a meeting. The UĦM felt the refusal of one union to attend a meeting should not prejudice the rights of another union.

It said the company called a meeting for workers, in the absence of a union representative, where it explained the situation and the reasons behind the outsourcing.

The union said it was holding the company responsible for any damages suffered by employees and called on MIA to call a consultation meeting without delay.

The judicial protest was signed by lawyers Ian Spiteri Bailey and Andrew Grima.