Air Malta workers are victims of a cynical ploy to buy votes, says ADPD

A pre-electoral promise made to Air Malta workers by the government is proving impossible to keep, ADPD noted on Saturday as it decried the "cynical ploy".

“We have now become used to governments paying lip service to the principles of good governance, but then unashamedly practicing vote buying, reneging on their impossible promises once the election is over,” ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said.

He was referring to reports that a promise to transfer hundreds of Air Malta workers to other public sector jobs at equal pay appears to be crumbling.

Air Malta is drastically downsizing its workforce in an attempt to remain solvent. When announcing that plan for the state-owned airline in January, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had said that all impacted workers would be transferred to other public sector roles with no change in pay or conditions.

Almost 70 per cent of the company’s workers applied for a transfer within six weeks of the minister’s announcement. But many workers have yet to be given adequate alternative employment.

Earlier this week, the PN claimed that workers were being “bullied” into accepting sub-par alternatives, with “take-it-or-leave-it” offers presented to...