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Economy Minister Says It’s Unacceptable’ For Pilots Union To Try And ‘Hijack Air Malta’ And ‘Benefit’ Off COVID-19 Crisis

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Malta’s Economy Minister Silvio Schembri has emerged in staunch defence of the national airline’s decision to axe 108 of its 138 pilots after they refused to take a €1,200 monthly salary amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I won’t let anyone hijack Air Malta. It belongs to the country and it is unacceptable to try benefit from the situation. It belongs to Malta and difficult decisions will be made,” he said during a press conference.

Schembri, who is responsible for Air Malta, explained that the aviation sector, which has been worst hit by the pandemic, will change radically in a post-COVID world. This, he said, was highlighted in a recent European Parliament report, which warned that in the competitive climate low-cost airlines like Ryan Air’s Malta offshoot ‘Malta Air’ could eat up Air Malta.

However, Schembri was clear that this would not happen, and that critical decisions would need to be taken on the airline to ensure the survival of its entire workforce and the country in general.

“We offered a social wage to every employee who is not working to safeguard the jobs of hundreds of people.

Engineers and ground handling staff had accepted the pay cut, Schembri said.

“The Cabin Crew missed four deadlines and the company had no choice to pursue with a mass redundancy before they had a vote on the issue,” he said.

Schembri had some choice words for Malta’s Pilots Union (ALPA), claiming that it was hijacking Air Malta and attempting to benefit from the current crisis.

He also criticised the union for failing to meeting with the airline’s management simply because the CEO did not attend.

“Air Malta is not solely responsible to the pilots, but to workers and the entire country. A particular section trying to dictate how a company runs is not acceptable, and difficult decisions will be made,” he said.

Schembri claimed that he had received emails from pilots saying that they did not agree with ALPA’s conduct.

He conceded that this was the route the airline had wished to take, but in order to safeguard the airline, it was necessary.

“We cannot allow anyone to bring the company to its knees,” he said.

READ NEXT: Some Of Malta’s Restrictive COVID-19 Measures Will Be In Place Until A Vaccine Is Found

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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