The pilots' union has filed a criminal complaint with the Police Commissioner and the Industrial and Employment Relations Director General calling for an investigation into the "conduct and dealings" of Air Malta's directors, managers and officials.

Air Malta announced late on Friday it was making more than half of its pilots redundant, saying talks with pilots’ union ALPA had gone nowhere. 

ALPA reacted by seeking – and obtaining – a warrant of prohibitory injunction against the airline, temporarily blocking the terminations from being brought into effect.

On Thursday it said it had also filed a judicial protest to hold Air Malta responsible for acting contrary to the terms of the prohibitory injunction.

The association is also holding the company responsible for its dealings in bad faith and the irreparable damage which this is causing our members, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, ALPA said its criminal complaint was being filed "in relation to the collective redundancies contemplated by the company and the illegal unilateral variation of the conditions of employment of the retained employees, prior to reaching an agreement with the association".

This complaint followed another one filed on May 24 when Air Malta failed to allow ALPA members to avail themselves of their statutory leave entitlement over the past years, as well as the company’s failure to pay wages.

"Regrettably, no action was taken by the relative authorities in this respect and the company has opted to ignore the issue completely," the association added.