That Air Malta was not being managed in an optimal manner comes out very clearly. It is incredible how abusive and wasteful practices led to a situation whereby a public company, requiring a workforce of 700, ended up carrying an extra 700 staff. And all of this at the expense of taxpayers who unfortunately rarely wake up to confront their politicians.

Now the Air Malta problem has come to a head and this thanks to EU regulations. Government is being forced to face the dire situation, stop all taxpayer subsidies and seriously reform the structure and management of the company.

It is encouraging to hear that Air Malta is going to be put on sound commercially viable feet, and it is welcome news that the abusive over-employment is finally going to be tackled. Hopefully, in future, the number of employees will never be allowed to exceed the real commercial needs of the company.

So far so good, but now another problem has cropped up, a problem which will not allow us taxpayers any peace of mind.

Government and unions are openly talking about guaranteeing jobs to redundant Air Malta employees. This guarantee is being requested and entertained irrespective of the fact that government does not have a requirement to employ 600 employees. Government could be declaring that it will pick up a bill of about €12,000,000 per annum to take on 600 employees who are not needed in the public sector, and all this again at the taxpayers’ expense.

Considered solely from an economic perspective such a move is nonsense and completely contradicts the current pressure being felt all over the EU to reduce the size of overstaffed and inefficient public sectors and direct instead manifestly underutilised labour to real productive work in the private sector.

Government should show more respect and not waste hard earned taxpayers’ money in the payment of wages and salaries to non-existent jobs.

Considered from a social point of view the desire of the unions and the possible intent of government, to maintain these redundant employees on full pay, in non-existent jobs, is discriminating and morally unjust.

What makes so-called parastatal employees so much more special than private sector employees?

We are all supposed to live and operate in an economic system that recognises redundancy as a critical tool that directs labour where it is really needed. Being a humane society we have also developed tools, in the shape of unemployment benefits and training, to help out those workers temporarily out of a job.

Redundancy is therefore accepted as a temporary but necessary hard measure, but why does it apply only to workers in the private sector? Are these private sector workers second-class citizens? Who established that employees in the public sector or parastatal companies are redundancy proof and are entitled to a job for life?

It is not acceptable that unions make these kind of requests and less acceptable that government considers them. Unions must stop promoting discriminatory treatment of workers. Demanding unsustainable conditions and privileges which manifestly are not and cannot be available to all workers is a behaviour that is morally bankrupt.

I can still recall the wasteful conclusion of the dockyard saga when generous payments, out of taxpayers’ funds, were dished out to perfectly employable and very much in demand skilled craftsmen and technicians.

Are we going to have more of the same?

Of course I would be the first to recognise how distressful it is to lose one’s job, more so when one has family responsibilities and loan commitments. I sympathise with a worker who is unemployed, but my duty and responsibility is to find him/her productive work as fast as possible.

It is not correct and it is irresponsible to simply lay your hands on hard earned taxpayers’ funds and selectively pay out money to a privileged few, in jobs that do not exist.

Definitely without delay let us get Air Malta back on its feet. Over the years this company contributed enormously to the well-being of tourism and air freight of exports. Air Malta has helped and contributes to create and sustain jobs in critical economic sectors. Air Malta not only has to survive, it needs to flourish and become competitive with the right number of competent and engaged employees.

Arthur Muscat

Floriana