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Air Malta | 92 per cent of GWU members accept airline's proposals

92% of some 800 GWU members accept Air Malta restructuring plans.

22 November 2011, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

1 min read

Air Malta will reduce its staff complement by 500 from its current 1,300.

The outright majority of Air Malta employees have voted to accept proposals by the national airline for its restructuring, that will see reductions in staff complement and other changes in work practices to bring the company back into profitability.

General Workers Union sources confirmed that 92% of employees in yesterday's secret ballot accepted the Air Malta plans to rationalise the company.

The GWU represents some 800 of Air Malta's workforce of 1,300. The plans are to reduce the workforce by 500.

The package of proposals includes an early retirement scheme and new work practices.

GWU secretary-general Tony Zarb addressed workers just a week since Air Malta said negotiations with the union had broken down and that it would start presenting redundancy schemes this week to employees.

Air Malta last week said it was progressing on talks with pilots, cabin crew and engineers.

In last week's Budget, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said an extra €20 million will be voted for Air Malta, but also stated that trade union "discussions cannot be extended indefinitely. This can lead to an irreversible situation, with serious consequences for the families which depend on this enterprise and for our country.

"The European Commission is expecting the government's final plan but this cannot be presented if there is no agreement on the fundamental changes in work practices which have to be made. Without these changes, the plan will fail."

Fenech said the refusing the plan could "only lead to the outsourcing of certain operations or to the reduction of employees according to our country's laws."

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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It is a pity how the Government has and is reacting with Airmalta Workers. First everything easy, then in one time, HIS ASS STARTED ITCHING...so there was no time for talks...it was just TAKE IT or LEAVE IT. It will an amazing Christmas for these workers, zs they had no other option to choose. I hope that NO ONE WILL FORGET WHAT THESE DICTATORS did and still doing just filling up their pockets. The agreement was that 511 should be off, but suddenly Gonzi emphasised that it should be 600. Well I believe that the next step after restructuring, is privitisation...so another 200 will be out...so 800 will be out. How come that all of us Maltese can let these dictators make a new parliament. The country doesn't need this. They are just SHOW OFF DICTATORS, TRAITORS. Wake up people..wake up...they will have to return to us what has been taken away.

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No problem. Now we will remember all the threats done by Gonzi and Tonio during election time. Tqazzizt nisma lill Gonzi jghid li lis- skemi huma bhal tad- Dockyard. Mhux veru and this can be vouched by all Air Malta workers. Gonzi will be remembered ghal akbar tkaxkira li qatt qala Prim Ministru Malti throughout the existence of the Maltese islands. Ser nivvota lill- Joseph Muscat u bil- qalb. Ex- Nazzjonalist.

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It-theddid tad-dittatur jidher li kellu l-frott mixtieq. Lil haddiema tal-airMalta li ser jintlaqtu, ghandkom ragu n tiehdu decizzjoni iebsa biss tkunux cwiec u darb'ohra temmnu il-gideb sfaccat tad-dittatur ghaliex intkom cwiec maltin u tajbin biex juzghawkom biss.

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Iva, flimkien kollox possibli. Bi hgarna ivvutajna IVA sabiex min irid jiehu s-somma johodha bla nkwiet ta' xejn u nkunu nistghu ingawdu l-Milied flimkien. Issa minn par idejn sodi, par saqajn tajbin irridu ghax minjaf kemm se nigru min section ghal ohra. Grazzi lil GonziPn ta' dak kollu li se jaghtina. Grazzi Lawrence! Jekk Alla jrid issa niftakru fik fl-elezzjoni li jmiss.