Air Malta has accused the pilots union ALPA of an "appalling display of force" by attempting to get pilots paid more than other employees "in a time of virtually zero revenue" for the company.
In a strongly-worded reaction to a letter sent to Prime Minister Robert Abela and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri from the European Cockpit Association, the airline said ALPA had repeatedly dismissed offers of an agreement.
Air Malta has announced it plans to sack 108 pilots, a move the European Cockpit Association described as deplorable.
The airline had offered a €1,200 monthly salary, which the union declined.
"ALPA’s attempted display of force, seeking to leverage the company
into paying pilots more than other employees in a time of virtually zero
revenues is appalling, " the Air Malta statement read.
"During times of crisis, it comes without saying that all stakeholders should be cooperating to safeguard the survival and long-term viability of the airline, not personal interest."
The European Cockpit Association had argued that the salary offer for Air Malta pilots presented a much sharper pay cut than those offered by other airlines.
However, Air Malta said it was "ironic" that ALPA was now making comparisons with pilots employed with other European airlines when in the past the union refuted such comparisons when the company had proposed similar conditions which were more at par with industry norms.
The airline said its primary interest was to ensure that it safeguarded its long-term viability and that its operations were not compromised.
All commercial flights in and out of Malta were suspended on March 21, with exceptions only for humanitarian, cargo and repatriation services.
Longer-term measures were, therefore, required to protect the airline and its sustainability from unjustified leverage once it started to fly again, it said.
Air Malta said it was responsible to safeguard all its employees and, therefore, could not prefer one section over others.
ALPA statement
In a statement later, ALPA condemned what it described was “deplorable behaviour” by the airline’s senior management team and urged the Economy Minister to step in and accede to its request for a meeting before the CEO cratered any hope for a brighter future for Air Malta.
ALPA said it made repeated requests for meetings with Air Malta’s CEO Clifford Chetcuti but its plea fell on deaf ears without any reasonable justification being provided by the company.
It said it was very strange that the company’s CEO should opt not to participate in discussions which should, in theory, be premised on his strategic guidance and policy direction. Talks, it said, would only resume when the CEO decided to abide by this request.
It said that ever since he was ‘handpicked’ by Air Malta, the CEO embarked on an incessant attack on company pilots through false allegations ranging from abuse of sick leave through false statistics, to gross misconduct, all of which were never proven.
Although it would have been wiser to embark on a path of reconciliation to resolve a wide array of problems, Chetcuti opted to launch scathing attacks through local newspapers with the sole purpose of intimidating and tarnishing the association’s reputation, as well as that of its representatives.
ALPA said it believed it was highly unethical and immoral for Chetcuti to display such “predatory and opportunistic” behaviour during such a sensitive period, as presented by the COVID-19 impact on airline operations, while forcing the workforce to accept long-term, degraded working conditions of a permanent nature.
His offer to accept a 70% pay cut from a package exceeding €300,000 excluding perks, came after pressure was applied by ALPA to ensure the necessary degree of transparency, it said.
It added that senior management members had admitted to ALPA they have given up just 10% of their salaries, while demanding a 90% pay cut from pilots. ALPA said it still insisted on a fair, across the board, percentage pay cut.
It extended solidarity with the Union of Cabin Crew, which, it said, fell victim to management’s divisive and convoluted tactics.
“It is incomprehensible to insist that trust has been severely dented on one hand whilst asking for a deep process of restructuring of a permanent nature to be reached on the other hand, and this within the restrictive timeframes imposed by the company.”