General Workers Union (GWU) Secretary General Josef Bugeja told this newsroom on Friday evening that discussions on collective agreements for Air Malta Employees have not yet begun.
The General Workers Union had finished their proposals after the first meeting, however when they asked Air Malta management when the next meeting will be, no date was set, as discussions with the strategic partner are still underway.
Mr Bugeja explained that the GWU has not yet been informed as to who this strategic partner is.
“We told them that once negotiations regarding the collective agreement start, we will not be pressed by a short timeframe given the delays we have experienced”.
The last time he had contact on the issue was around two to three weeks ago.
The unions set to discuss the collective agreement are the GWU, the Cabin Crew Union (UCC), the Malta Airline Pilots Association and the Airline Engineers Union refused to comment.
Asked why discussions haven’t started, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said he met union representatives in March, and that the negotiating committee has been meeting internally to conduct the necessary preparatory work.
“One has to keep in mind that negotiations with the potential strategic partner are taking place in parallel. The government's main objective is to ensure that Air Malta’s turnaround is a successful one that would benefit its workforce, the tourism industry and the Maltese economy.”
Questions about the strategic partner have been shot down time and time again by the Minister, who has refused to reveal who this mysterious partner is.
Speculation has resulted in several airlines being named, including Turkish Airlines and Etihad.