More than 500 Air Malta employees have applied for the company's early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes, the Finance Ministry said today.
Speaking following the closure of the schemes for employees represented by the General Workers Union, which represent the majority of the airline's workforce, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said:
"This is a very important step towards saving over 800 jobs at the company. Company staff levels are being restructured to competitive levels modelled on leading international airlines.
"This has been achieved with the full support of the unions. Achieving the reduction this way enables the company to move forward quickly with its restructuring plan and cultural transformation into an efficient and service oriented carrier. The schemes were designed to encourage staff to apply and this is exactly what has been achieved".
The minister said that the company and the government, as the major shareholder, have taken care to ensure that employees retiring from their job are not only given adequate compensation but also supported through the Employment and Training Corporation to find alternative employment.
"We...
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