Pilots too must make sacrifices
As the country returns to normality and travel to and from Malta restarts, Air Malta’s role is more crucial than ever before.
The airline has already started taking bookings for a limited number of destinations and the list is set to increase as the weeks go by. Yet, at such a delicate juncture, it has had to sack more than half of its pilots because the union representing them has refused to accept reality and make sacrifices, just like the rest of the country has.
When the airport was closed in March, the airline’s turnover went down to zero. This was not an easy decision for the government to take, but the seriousness of the situation at the time required such drastic action.
The airline did not immediately sack its workers – negotiations were launched to find a compromise so that the entire workforce could be retained, and the government obtained permission from the EU to help the airline financially.
After long and hard negotiations, an agreement was reached with the cabin crew union – its members accepted the fact that, in the current circumstances, everyone has to make sacrifices. The choice is simple: lose part of your salary or lose your job entirely.
Yet the airline pilots are refusing to accept this reality and have endangered not only their jobs but also those of their fellow colleagues at Air Malta.
Prime Minister Robert Abela pointed out on Sunday that, apart from good salaries, pilots enjoy very favourable conditions in their collective agreement. This includes a chauffeur-driven car to take them to and from work.
Air Malta has always faced challenges, and such benefits do not make sense in a pre-COVID world, let alone during a pandemic. Airlines across the world have trimmed their overheads over the years as they adapt to an ever-changing scenario. In many major airlines, pilots are only afforded a chauffeur when they fly very long routes – in Malta, however, the situation is different.
ALPA has refused the offer of a reduced pay and is now insisting that the pilots who are sacked should get €700,000, as per collective agreement.
Either choice would cripple the airline – Air Malta cannot afford to make a €73 million payout, but, at the same time, it can’t not have pilots. The pilots’ union is taking full advantage of this fact and is adamant on not agreeing to the pay package that has been offered to and accepted by other sections of the airline. Furthermore, it has stalled the sackings in court.
So, once again, the airline is in limbo.
The situation is totally unsustainable, and pilots should accept the fact that sacrifices have to be made. The choices they are presenting would devastate the airline, and, if Air Malta were to tank, all jobs would be lost forever.
Most workers in Malta have had to make sacrifices, us included. Even medical practitioners who have been working on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic have seen their private income disappear. But this is something we do not have control over. We don’t have to like it, but it had to be done.
At this stage, we need to work together to ensure that we return to normal levels of operation and income, so that salaries can go back to previous levels. The sacrifice is hard, but it is temporary.
We have all had to take a hit but we’re doing it to ensure that we still have our jobs when this is over. Air Malta’s pilots need to do the same.