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MW 24 August 2016

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4 TIM DIACONO SALARIES for Air Malta's cabin crew will be linked with more f lexible working hours, follow- ing an agreement struck late on Monday night. Cabin crew union (UCC) presi- dent Noel Mercieca told Mal- taToday that tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis has prom- ised that workers' take-home pay will not be reduced, but that their salaries will be adjusted accord- ing to their working hours, in line with the union's demands. This means that cabin crew who work longer hours can be expect- ed to earn higher salaries than what they are currently earning. None of Air Malta's 250 or so cabin crew will be sacked, but all of them will be offered a strictly voluntary retirement scheme. MaltaToday revealed on Sun- day that the retirement scheme for pilots and cabin crew has been tagged at some €6 million. Those cabin crew who want to keep working under their current conditions will be offered a job at another government department. "This is only the start of discus- sions and the real negotiations are yet to begin, but at least we have struck an agreement on the principles of the deal," Mercieca said. "At least I now have my mind at rest that I will not lose my job and that my salary will not be cut." The UCC has also agreed to ac- cept higher productivity targets imposed by Air Malta's man- agement, which Mercieca said amounted to minor tweaks in the current collective agreement. However, a business plan signed between Air Malta and Alitalia remains elusive, with Mercieca saying that his requests to see a copy of it had been turned down. "We were not told anything about the business plan during yesterday's meeting, but I have been informed that it will be made public after the end of Au- gust," he said. The government and the UCC struck a preliminary deal on Monday night, after the union had ordered work-to-rule direc- tives. The government was rep- resented by Zammit Lewis, while Air Malta chairperson Maria Micallef and President emeritus George Abela – appointed as negotiator for the airline's talks with its staff – were also present for the meeting. In a separate meeting on Mon- day, Zammit Lewis pledged that all Air Malta employees repre- sented by the General Workers' Union were guaranteed their jobs and take-home pay. A GWU spokesperson con- firmed with MaltaToday that the union's proposals to the govern- ment include calls for an early retirement scheme, a voluntary retirement scheme, and access to public sector jobs for some of Air Malta's current staff. "Since Air Malta's business plan has yet to be presented, it is diffi- cult to predict the impact [of the deal] on the workers on various government salary scales whom we represent, and which govern- ment departments they will be transferred to if the need arises," he said. "However, the govern- ment has pledged that all poten- tially transferred workers will be relocated to jobs on their current salary scale." They come in the footsteps of an agreement signed with the Airline Pilots' Association (AL- PA) last week, following lengthy negotiations. When asked by MaltaToday, ALPA president Dominic Azzopardi refused to divulge any details of the deal, arguing that he doesn't want to risk compromising his position. "However, I can say that all pi- lots are happy with the deal. We have not received a single nega- tive comment about it yet," he said. He also confirmed that ALPA were not given a copy of the Ali- talia business plan, and that he had been informed that it could be published even later than the end of August. The government signed a mem- orandum of understanding with Alitalia back in April, in a deal that will see the Italian airline acquiring a 49% shareholding in Air Malta. Alitalia is itself 49% owned by Abu Dhabi-based air- line Etihad Airways. The deal is expected to see Air Malta benefit from a €400 million investment at Alitalia, as well as from its vast network and airport slots. Zammit Lewis has also said that the deal will allow the airline to reduce its ticket prices. However, the deal will also see the government absorb Air Malta's full €66 million in debt and liabilities, as well as fork out some €6 million on a voluntary early retirement scheme for pi- lots and cabin crew. Zammit Lewis has also been forced to deny reports that the partnership will see Air Mal- ta relegated to the established routes operated by Alitalia or Etihad. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 24 AUGUST 2016 News SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TO RECEIVE BREAKING NEWS Go to www.maltatoday.com.mt and get SMS alerts More flexible work hours for Air Malta cabin crew after late-night deal

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