Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1039277
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 OCTOBER 2018 YANNICK PACE AIR Malta filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction in court on Friday to stop its pilots' un- ion from carrying out industrial action over its latest dispute with the airline. MaltaToday has learnt that the union notified Air Malta of imminent industrial action if a resolution is not found to a pending dispute regarding a number of issues including pi- lots' permanent health insur- ance (PHI) and reimbursement for denied off days. They said that ALPA had no- tified the airline of its inten- tion to start industrial action if an agreement isn't reached by Monday night. The union is expected to di- rect its members not to train 20 cadets from Qatar Airways who are currently undergoing train- ing with Air Malta. Such action would not impact any of Air Malta's passengers but would negatively impact what is a lu- crative revenue stream for the airline. The agreement to train the cadets was concluded during an official trip to Qatar last July, during which Tourism minister Konrad Mizzi held talks with Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker. The disputed insurance is a type of insurance which covers pilots against any injury that could prevent them from fly- ing any longer. It ensures they continue to receive their salary for a period of time in such an eventuality. The cover was included in the collective agreement signed in January, however Air Malta has since been notified that this type of cover would no longer be offered by the insurance bro- ker. Pilots argue that the agree- ment was signed with the cover- age included and that had they known it was to be discontin- ued, they would not have voted in favour of the agreement. The union must therefore now work out a way of providing the cov- erage, or of adequately replac- ing it, together with the airline. On its part, the airline appears to have accepted that a solution must be found, but is unwilling to meet all of the union's de- mands. An airline source who also spoke to MaltaToday said that Air Malta had agreed to of- fer the coverage for a period of six months, while also of- fering to double the coverage from another, separate type of insurance against the loss of a pilot's licence until a solution is found. They said that the offer was dependent on a guarantee of "industrial peace" and more cooperation by the pilots. Another bone of contention appears to be reimbursement of pilots for flying on an off-day. Pilots are contractually owed 104 off-days per year over and above the 24 they are entitled to by law because they do not have a regular roster. Pilots who do not get this amount of off-days over a 12-month period, must be re- imbursed for their denied off- days. The sources said that as things stand, it was only a hand- ful of pilots who were likely to find themselves in this situation come the end of the year. They said that most were non- union members who were help- ing the airline out when pilot shortages arise, and while it was only a handful who would need to be reimbursed, the union was demanding that all pilots be paid. The relationship between Air Malta and ALPA has soured over the last 12 months, even after the signing of the new col- lective agreement in January and there appears to be a lack of trust on both sides of negotia- tions, resulting in a rapid esca- lation whenever disputes arise. The present dispute isn't the first to force Air Malta to seek protection from the courts. Last April the airline filed a similar warrant to stop pilots enforcing a directive stopping members from flying a new aircraft Air Malta had just taken delivery of, and which did not possess a cockpit voice recorder erase button, despite a requirement for it in the collective agree- ment. Last month, Air Malta also suspended one of its pilots, and an ALPA council member, over comments posted to Facebook which were picked up by the media, and in which he can be seen joking about an aircraft which had developed a fault. The pilot was suspended by the airline, but has since re- sumed flying following an in- vestigation. The pilot was paid all allowances that he had lost during the period of his suspen- sion, in what could be viewed as a sign of goodwill on the part of the company. Air Malta accusations Air Malta said it was in dis- cussions with ALPA over the "interpretation of various parts of the collective agreement," saying ALPA's interpretation of certain clauses was "disadvanta- geous and unfair to Air Malta". "Over the past months ALPA has issued several recommen- dations to its members to fol- low restrictive practices that limit flexibility and productiv- ity. These negatively affected the airline and its customers and caused delays on several flights," Air Malta said, refer- ring to a cancelled flight over a lack of cockpit crew. ALPA reacted by saying the latest dispute also concerned il- legal rosters "which inherently cause pilot fatigue levels… [and] not having enough pilots to guarantee the minimum num- ber of days off". To: The Editor, Illum MediaToday Ltd, Vjal ir-Riħan, San Ġwann SĠN 9016 The Broadcasting Authority would like to place the below advert on Sunday 14th October 2018 Call for Applications: Office Assistant (Full Time) The Broadcasting Authority is seeking to fill the post of Office Assistant (Full Time) Duties and Responsibilities: The ideal candidate shall be required to: • carry out messengerial duties; • undertake car driving duties; • undertake basic maintenance and repair tasks. Skills and Qualifications: Applicants must be in possession of: • a clean driving licence; • a clean police conduct certificate; • a school leaving certificate (MQF Level 1); • have basic computer skills. Applicants must submit a letter of application together with a detailed copy of their CV by: • e-mail to administration.ba@ba.org.mt • not later than noon, Wednesday, 24th October 2018 Late applications will not be considered A detailed job description is to be found on the Broadcasting Authority's website: http://www.ba-malta.org The Broadcasting Authority is a constitutional entity which regulates, licences and monitors all radio and television broadcasts originating from the Maltese Islands. Broadcasting Authority 7, Mile End Road, HAMRUN HMR 1719, Malta. Telephone: +356 2201 6000 Mario Axiak NEWS Air Malta goes to court to stop pilots' industrial action