Updated | MIA Aviation security strike against redundancies

Maltatoday is informed that the remaining workers out of a 50-strong aviation security staff workforce are going on strike as from 5pm on Tuesday, in protest against a decision by employer G4S to make 23 aviation security staff redundant.

Following meeting with the representative unions, the General Workers Union and the Union Haddiema Magħqudin, the workers are expected to stop working from 5pm to 6 pm on Tuesday. From that point onwards, aviation security are expected to go on 'work slow' directives on an indefinite basis.

Maltatoday is informed that the 'go slow' directive will persist for as long as there are no developments in the situation.

The strikes come in the way of the announcement that 23 aviation security personnel employed with security operator G4S who were stationed at the Malta International Airport were made redundant earlier on Tuesday.

The redundancies were confirmed by G4S General Manager Patrick Busuttil, who spoke to MaltaToday.

The redundancies are the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the approximately 50 aviation security staff stationed at MIA, and G4S, who won the tender to operate the MIA's aviation security service in January of this year.

G4S inherited the complement of approximately 50-strong aviation security staff, who were previously employed with the company who held the tender before G4S.

However over the past weeks, G4S has been in talks with its aviation security staff in an attempt to downsize the number of aviation security staff stationed at the MIA.

Busuttil had recently maintained that the decision to downsize staff was purely based on the fact that it is not financially viable to station a high complement of staff at the MIA when incoming tourism is low, such as during the winter months.

He had insisted that the company is not trying to shed staff permanently, and insisted that G4S's offer to the affected workers was to relocate them to other sites where G4S is contracted to provide security, such as Mater Dei and the MEPA offices, until May 2013, when the summer influx is expected to begin.

However workers who spoke with this newspaper maintained that such an arrangement would grossly upset their working conditions, and complained that they were being subject to threats of job termination unless they go along with G4S's proposals.

They also expressed concern that the proposed downsized staffing levels at MIA during the Winter months would mean vulnerable security coverage in an emergency.

Contacted by MaltaToday, G4S Director Patrick Busuttil confirmed that 23 aviation security staff had been made redundant on Tuesday.

Asked to react to reports that the newly-redundant staff are refusing to work their notice period, Busuttil would only say that "they walked out. They abandoned their place of work."

Asked to confirm reports that AFM personnel and MIA security are currently filling in instead by performing the role of aviation security - a job that requires specific certification - Busuttil said "I have no information of this."

Asked to comment regarding the redundancies, Busuttil said "they did not accept the conditions we proposed."

He reiterated that G4S had made the aviation security staff an offer through which redundancies could have been avoided.

"We made them an offer through which they would not lose their jobs by being stationed in other sites during the Winter months," Busuttil said.

He also insisted that despite the said relocations, the aviation security personnel previously stationed at the MIA would enjoy "the same working conditions, same roster, same pay, and even the same allowances."

"This is all in a written agreement before the Director of Work," Busuttil insisted, adding that G4S had received no counter-proposal from the workers' side.

While he insisted that as a company that is involved in the tourism sector, G4S needs to adapt to the seasonality of the industry, and that "the offer we made was more generous that similar offers by other entities", the company cannot afford to employ "extra people if there is nothing for them to do."

At the same time, he remarked that "nothing is irrevocable."

MaltaToday is informed that discussions between G4S and aviation security staff are underway, and meetings with the workers' respective unions (GWS and UHM) will be held later on Tuesday.