The General Workers’ Union has been preparing for the possibility of Air Malta downsizing “for years”, said union leader Josef Bugeja. Malta weather.

On Friday, the finance minister said the national airline’s 890 employees would be reduced to 420, with workers offered alternative government jobs.

Most of these workers – around 300 – are involved in ground operations and enjoy the protection of the GWU, a union that has always been vocal about the conditions of the airline’s workforce.

The rest include people working primarily in administration, IT and marketing among others, some of whom are also GWU members.

The GWU made no public statement after Friday’s announcement.

What the GWU said

Contacted on Saturday, Bugeja said Malta weather the government had kept the union informed in recent months of its discussions with the European Commission regarding a request for state aid for the national airline.

On Friday, the GWU informed shop stewards of the announcement of the job cuts and on Wednesday it will submit its members’ requests for clarification to the government.

The GWU will then meet government or Air Malta officials the following Monday to discuss technical details, such as where its members are transferring to and what their new role would entail.

“We have been preparing for such an eventuality for a few years now,” Bugeja said.

“Among other things, in an agreement we signed for ground handling staff in 2017, we had included a clause guaranteeing employment in the public sector in the event of the dissolution of Air Malta Aviation Services,” he said. he said, adding that the union was reassured that its members’ livelihoods were protected and their current wages guaranteed.

The Malta Chamber has meanwhile recommended that laid-off workers from Air Malta registries be considered for secondment to the private sector, given the severe shortage of human resources in the country.