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WEDNESDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2023 • ISSUE 862 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY
EDITORIAL • PAGE 11
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Playmobil to
cut 700 jobs
worldwide,
Malta plant
unlikely to
be impacted
MARIANNA CALLEJA
AIR Malta has been "used and
abused" by both Nationalist and La-
bour governments over the years,
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said
on Tuesday.
"The airline was turned into a gov-
ernment department," he told parlia-
ment.
Caruana wasted no time in empha-
sising that the airline's troubled histo-
ry was a result of the political interfer-
ence which led to its end. He insisted
that if proper actions had been taken
in the past, Air Malta might not be
facing such dire circumstances today.
He highlighted that multiple ad-
ministrations had attempted to hide
the problems in an effort not to lose
public trust. "But as this went on, the
airline continued to haemorrhage
money."
"As long as I serve as this airline's
minister, I am committed to ensuring
its profitability. I couldn't care less
about how ugly I may appear while
achieving that," Caruana added.
Caruana cited examples, such as
contracts signed in 2007/2008 which
saddled the company with substantial
retirement scheme obligations. He
questioned the logic of signing such
agreements and criticised the lack of
foresight in dealing with them.
The finance minister also scruti-
nised the Labour government's own
financial decisions, pointing out that
opening numerous destinations had
also led to massive losses.
KURT SANSONE
THE Playmobil plant in Malta is unlikely to be hit by
job cuts announced by the German toymaker Horst
Brandstaetter Group on Monday.
The company plans to cut 700 jobs worldwide by
2025, 369 of them in Germany amid falls in sales
and profit over the past two years. The decision
affects 17% of the workforce globally and 16% in
Germany.
Air Malta demise a result
of bad management by all
governments - Caruana
PAGE 3 PAGE 3
Finance minister Clyde Caruana said Air Malta was "turned into a government department"
