The Nationalist Party has called on the government to stick to its agreement with Air Malta employees, condemning the behaviour of Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, who is reneging on the deal signed with close to 600 employees in the run-up to the general elections.
Addressing a press conference following revelations by The Shift that Clyde Caruana was threatening Air Malta employees with shutting down the airline if they didn’t accept his new terms, PN MP Jerome Caruana Cilia said the government should have done its homework and it was unacceptable to shift the goalposts now.
The Shift revealed the government’s attempts to renege on the deal signed with Air Malta employees before the general elections in March, up to a meeting called on Tuesday in which the finance minister threatened to shut down the airline if the employees would not accept the government withdrawing from an agreement that drew hundreds of votes to the Labour Party in the last general elections through an agreement that is now worthless.
Following an agreement with the General Workers Union earlier this year, Minister Caruana launched a Voluntary Transfer Employment Scheme (VETS) guaranteeing a lifetime government job to employees who chose to end their employment with the ailing national airline.
Clyde Caruana now wants to rescind the agreement, negotiating with the GWU to give the employees a golden handshake instead of a job for life with the government. The GWU is participating in negotiations, but it has not made its position public.
PN MP Jerome Caruana Cilia said that while the government had utterly mismanaged Air Malta in the past years, it was unacceptable that the employees now have to carry the burden of the administration’s mistakes. He made the point that scandals reported show that while the government had the money to serve its cronies, it was not respecting its deal with Air Malta employees.
MP Ian Castillo, the PN’s spokesman for employment, said it was clear that the 577 Air Malta employees who took up the scheme have been double-crossed by the government.
He challenged the government to state the reasons behind the sudden change of mind. He asked why it wanted to change the terms of the agreement, who had agreed on the terms offered before the elections, why the employees were lied to and how certain people close to Labour were being selected to get government jobs at the detriment of all the other employees.
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#Voluntary Transfer Employment Scheme (VETS)
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Labour are a Busted Flush full of you know what, and “Persons of Trust”, which is a misnomer really, does anybody know someone of Labour leaning they could genuinely consider a “Person of Trust” of course not. This is Mafialand, survival of the fittest is going to take a hammering with the lack of funds that are going to decimate all the habibs working for these stooges, Register with Jobsplus now to get ahead of the queue.
I?ve already said that I do not agree with these type of agreements to put on the Gov?s payroll Air Malta workers who will continue to benefit from their current income irrespective from where they will be placed in public administration. Utter nonsense.
And it is more nonsense to have an opposition who is now pushing the Gov to respect this agreement and though increasing the financial burden.
Prior to the 2013 elections, Joseph Muscat in the presence of the GWU had promised that Enemalta would NOT be privatised.
Well we all know the outcome. Enemalta is losing money, hand over fist and is surviving on government subsidies worth millions
Whilst the Chinese who own the ex-BWSC plant, which is run partly by gas and partly by diesel registered millions in profit???!!!!
PN demands Finance minister to fullfil the agreement!!!!
Bis-serjeta’???
Haddiema mhallsin esagerat biex jghamlu xiex?
Jinghataw l allowances u l extras ta’ snin passati mal basic tas sena 2022 ta’ xiex ?
Ghax kien Jew kienet l Airmalta… WTF?
Kielu u kielu tajjeb u issa ikomplu jieklu minn fuq it taxxi tal Poplu ???
Ejja come on imorru bhalna mal Privat.
Ghalfejn din il biza?
Ghalfejn dan il cushion kollu?
Mela dawn xi Allat mhux nies normali?
Kienu jafu li l kumpanija falluta.
I don’t agree either but once an agreement was signed by Minister Clyde Caruana, he should stick to it. The only way out for him is to step down and make way for another person. Why is it so difficult for these persons to resign on a matter of principle?
Is there something fishy may be a commission at the side out of these millions in profits ?