Representatives from the General Workers’ Union, the pilots’ union, the engineers’ union and the cabin crew union met Dr Gatt yesterday to discuss the package they had put forward.

The unions’ Air Malta Rescue Package differs the government’s package in two main aspects, a three-year moratorium on wage increases rather than six and balancing out cost-cutting measures between employees and management.

The unions felt that the government package leant more favourably towards Air Malta’s top management. Their document answers government’s document line by line in the way of proposals.

It is understood that both “parties” yearn to find common ground in an effort to begin implementing measures to save the airline. Both parties have said that the crux of the issue was revenue generation rather than cost cutting, which although important, will not save the airline if nothing else is done.

It is also worth bearing in mind that there are audited accounts that have not yet been published, so the latest known figures regarding the airline’s finances are not yet available. In comments to The Malta Independent, an IT and Investment Ministry spokesman said that the government noted with satisfaction that the unions had understood the airline’s financial difficulties and had taken them into account when drafting their counter

proposals.

The unions and government are to meet again today to negotiate an agreement. The unions’ facilitator, George Abela was not present for the meeting yesterday, but Dr Gatt’s spokesman said that Dr Abela was the unions’ man and it did not make any difference whether he was there or not. “We are ready to sit at the discussion table to finalise an agreement that will save Air Malta,” he said.