Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis insisted today that in the talks which Air Malta is currently having with a possible strategic partner, the important thing was not who the partner airline would be, but that the link-up would safeguard Malta's tourist and social interests.
Replying to various questions by Nationalists MPs Claudio Grech, Antoine Borg and Robert Arrigo, the minister said he had to speak in general terms because of commercial considerations in the talks currently under way.
He said that since Air Malta is under being watched by an EU state monitoring board, there was an interface with the European Commission, which was being kept informed not only about the present, but also the airline's medium and long term outlook.
What was important in the current talks with the strategic partner, he said, was the preservation of the Malta tourism network, economies of sale, code share arrangements which would open up long-haul markets for Malta and the procurement advantages which would derive from a group of 500 aircraft.
They were also seeing how to maximise productivity. Were all workers in the right place in Air Malta? What new opportunities could be available for them? They would certainly have more opportunities than an airline of just eight aircraft.
It was important, Dr Zammit Lewis said, that Air Malta did not become just a feeder airline. He did not want Air Malta to do somebody else's dirty work.
The minister said he was pleased that the Opposition had welcomed the appointment of George Abela to head a team discussing working conditions. That was just one team which Air Malta had set up to focus on the strategic partnerships, others being, for example, finance, networks and the transport of the sick.
The minister said the collective agreements with all four trade unions at the airline had expired. The new collective agreements had to be negotiated in the context of the strategic partnership and it was logical that the strategic partner wanted clear terms on industrial relations.
He agree, however, that the workers needed to be kept better informed and that would happen as much as possible.
On Air Malta's workers in ground handling Dr Zammit Lewis said ground handling was part of the current talks. In many countries, he observed, ground handling was separate from the airlines, and the government would safeguard jobs and conditions here as well.
NO SAVINGS FROM LOW FUEL PRICES
Referring to reports that Air Malta had made savings from low fuel costs, Dr Zammit Lewis said fuel procurement was subject to hedging and savings therefore could not be made immediately oil prices fell.
Furthermore, although Air Malta was able to buy a small portion of its fuel requirements at spot prices, savings there were countered by losses made on the US dollar because the aircraft lease and maintenance agreements were in the US currency.
MALTESE LEAVING JOBS IN HOTELS
In other parts of his speech Dr Zammit Lewis insisted that conditions for workers in hotels needed to improve.
Hoteliers claimed that they had to engage foreigners because the Maltese did not want to work there, but one had to question why the Maltese did not want to go there at a time when tourism was doing well, hoteliers were charging higher room rates and benefiting from lower energy tariffs.
Foreigners had substituted the skills previously performed by the Maltese and it was a concern that rather than moving from one hotel to another, Maltese workers were leaving hotels for jobs elsewhere.
It was these workers who were needed to provide the service and the product needed for tourism to grow, Dr Zammit Lewis said.