All collective agreements for Air Malta staff must be concluded by the end of this year and come into effect by next year, so that talks can start with potential strategic partners with the staff certain of their future, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.
The topic was meant to be discussed in Parliament last week but was put off following the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Stressing that the government still believed in Air Malta's future, Dr Muscat said he was convinced it could be turned into the leading airline for the Mediterranean and grow considerably.
"We have added an aircraft and we are increasing the routes. But for the airline to really grow, we do need a strategic partner. But by then we should have all the expired collective agreements signed so that workers will have certainty about the years to come,” he said.
“This is why it is crucial to reach this agreement soon as we cannot allow it to drag out any further.”
Read: Air Malta industrial action called off after agreement reached
Dr Muscat said the offer on the table included a number of key elements. First of all, all employees had their jobs guaranteed but with the proviso that this would be in Malta, he said, adding that there was fear that a strategic partner might force some to move overseas.
“Also, with regards to the pay, we did not go with an unjust offer, or some pay cut, or a wage freeze. We actually offered raises, at the same percentage across the board: we are not trying to divide and rule,” he said, adding that retirement schemes were also based on the same formula across employee categories.
Workers would also be able to choose the best ‘take-home’ pay they got between 2014 and 2016 and use this as the basis for their future pay.
The Prime Minister warned that various sectors argued for their own workers without realising that an overview was needed:
“All sectors are interlinked and vital to each other. We saw this with the Malta Union of Teachers last week with teachers, and also following discussions with the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses and nurses. Each decision has an effect on others. The issue is not the money itself for that agreement – but the impact on other sectors which will expect the same, so the ripple effect will be much larger.”