Tourism Ministry claims that Konrad Mizzi's father was only interviewing Air Malta employees to inform and facilitate their transfer to government entities have been contradicted by airline workers involved in the process. 

Lawrence Mizzi, who serves as chairman of Resources Support and Services Ltd., is currently interviewing Air Malta employees who wish to take up government employment as part of an agreement between unions and the airline.

After Times of Malta revealed Mr Mizzi's involvement in a story last week, Mr Mizzi and the Tourism Ministry claimed that his role as RSSL chairman was only to inform and facilitate the transfer of employees to government entities.

However, a number of employees who yesterday contacted Times of Malta contradicted this version and provided a copy of an agreement given to them by Mr [Lawrence] Mizzi asking them to accept employment directly with RSSL.

“It is not true that Mr Mizzi was interviewing us to facilitate our deployment. He was interviewing us to see whether his government entity – RSSL – was going to take us on its payroll,” they insisted.

The document, titled ‘Declaration’, which the interviewees were asked to sign, explicitly states that employees would be terminating from Air Malta plc “and redeployed with Resources Support and Services Ltd”.

He seems to also have inside information from Air Malta

Contacted on this issue, Mr Mizzi admitted he was interviewing Air Malta employees but said this was only a preliminary exercise, as the employees would then be interviewed by the entity which would eventually employ them.

“Like we do with other government employees who approach us wishing to move, we hold information sessions to establish which department/entity they could be employed with.”

It now results that the new employer will be RSSL, which then decides to which department the employees will be seconded.

Asked whether in the case of Air Malta, since his son was the employees’ minister, he should not have involved himself, Mr Mizzi said he saw no problem.

“No one among those I interviewed objected or raised this issue with me,” Mr Mizzi said.

Part of the declaration given to Air Malta employees at the end of their interview with Mr Mizzi.Part of the declaration given to Air Malta employees at the end of their interview with Mr Mizzi.

When the Times of Malta pointed out that stepping aside was an ethical consideration, Mr Mizzi said: “None of the applicants said anything.”

Air Malta employees yesterday gave more details on the awkward situation they were put in.

“We were asked to send our CVs to be evaluated by RSSL. That was to be followed by an interview.

“No one ever told us that it was our minister’s father assessing our applications and asking us questions,” one employee said.

“When I went in, only the minister’s father asked the questions while another person was taking notes. At the end, he told me that I would be assigned to a specific entity, which will contact me to conduct another interview. It was a take it or leave it,” an Air Malta employee of 15 years said.

Another employee, for years a member of the cabin crew, recounted how Mr Mizzi had presented him with a document to sign as a form of acceptance that he would now be an employee of RSSL.

“He [Mr Mizzi] seems to also have inside information from Air Malta, as he told me not to worry as all those who applied for the early retirement scheme would be accepted. This was very good news to me, coming from the minister’s father.” Meanwhile, Air Malta did not give details on how many of its employees had been referred to the minister’s father for an interview.

An Air Malta spokesman only said that “RSSL was charged with receiving and directing the requests made to other entities where vacancies had arisen.

RSSL does not conduct interviews or select individuals for roles with government positions. Applications for particular posts with government entities are subject to the regular selection process of applicants carried out by the relevant entity, based on the relevant criteria.”

Finding alternative employment with the government for Air Malta employees was part of an agreement negotiated with trade unions two weeks before the last general election.

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