Government job for Air Malta pilots is ‘industrial relations blunder’, MEA says

The Malta Employer Association (MEA) has condemned the government’s decision to offer public sector jobs to sacked Air Malta pilots at a guaranteed take-home pay, arguing that it is flawed on many counts.

“This decision will create relativity issues wherever these ex-pilots are posted, and contradicts any notion of equal pay for work of equal value which government appears to strongly advocate,” the MEA said.

MEA claimed the condition was not featured in the main body of the collective agreement, featuring only as a side letter. “This raises serious governance questions, as side letters usually address personal issues and do not involve a major condition of employment,” they said.

Referring to COVID-19, the association argued that the agreement is unjust, with pilots granted “an automatic right to alternative employment with identical conditions if they become redundant, while others in the private sector who lose their jobs have to queue in the unemployment line.”

They further criticised the agreement for being an “unnecessary drain on public funds”, saying it would have been more reasonable for the government to negotiate a COVID-19 fallback package instead of resorting to this measure.

The ministry for the economy announced yesterday that former Air Malta pilots will be given a job in the public sector at the same take-home pay calculated in their collective agreement. The pilots eligible are those whose employment was terminated on 8th June after union ALPA refused to accept a cut to their take-home pay.

The guarantee was signed by former tourism minister Konrad Mizzi back in 2018, commiting the government to providing pilots a job at the same take-home pay should they be made redundant during Air Malta downsizing. The job would last until 31st December 2022.