A hiving agreement for Air Malta's ground handlers has been reached with GWU, Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi announced today.
Speaking at a press conference launching Air Malta's 'Go Light' product, Mizzi said that he will be announcing the agreement later on today which will see ground handlers, such as passenger, cargo, and luggage handlers, carved out of Air Malta to form a separate company wholly owned by the Government of Malta..
This will mean that 450 to 600 will move for Air Malta to another company, Mizzi revealed.
He went on to say that the government is engaging with other unions, and it is their objective to have collective agreements take effect in January.
Mizzi previously told The Malta on Sunday that he had a Plan B, which would be a last resort, should talks, which have proved difficult so far, fall through: close down Air Malta and open a new airline without any legacy constraints.
"In the eventuality that we will not be in a position to implement the revenue-driven revitalisation plan, we will then have no other option but to consider Plan B due to solvency issues.
"This would mean the closure of Air Malta and the opening of a new airline without any legacy constraints to fill the void. It is our responsibility to have a Plan B."
"As a company, we are negotiating and have offered fair proposals to the flying crew, which are the most the company can offer at the moment. Anything beyond what was offered means that the numbers will not work. As part of the collective agreements, we need to secure improved productivity and flexibility."
"I am convinced that there is an important niche market for a Malta-based airline. This is of strategic importance because a Malta-based airline is a key enabler for tourism, business, and the economy."
PN statement
The PN has said that the Air Malta workers, in particularly those who work in ground handling, woke up with a fright when they found out from the media “that they would no longer be employed by the national airline, but will be transferred into a private company.”
“This is a shock for these workers, as up till a few days ago, the government kept assuring their future without ever giving the impression that they will be removed from Air Malta. To the contrary, till before the election, the PL invented that a PN government would have closed the national airline. Now, it is the PL who seem to be going in this direction.”
“The PN will continue being the shield on all workers, and insist that government publish all details relating to this morning’s announcement.”
PL statement
The PL, in response, said that the PN statement has no solutions for the company “and the person who wrote the statement (Robert Arrigo) was part of the government that brought this company into problems.”
The statement read that the present government is coming out with solutions that guarantee hobs for the workers and the future of the company.