Court Rebukes Air Malta Over Zero-Hours Contracts as Opposition Slams Policy
· Updated
In brief
- A judge has reprimanded Air Malta for keeping part-time staff on zero-hours contracts while denying they were dismissed.
- The court addressed the treatment of airline personnel who were effectively left without guaranteed shifts or wages.
- The Nationalist Party argued that the ruling exposes political hypocrisy regarding the protection of workers' rights.
A court has strongly reprimanded Air Malta for retaining part-time employees on zero-hours arrangements while simultaneously claiming that the airline had never terminated their employment.
The presiding judge condemned the national carrier's approach, which effectively left workers without scheduled hours or regular income while maintaining that they remained officially employed. The court noted that keeping personnel in administrative limbo deprived them of certainty and basic employment stability.
Zero-hours arrangements, which do not provide employees with guaranteed minimum working hours or predictable pay, have long been a subject of regulatory debate across Maltese employment sectors. The ruling underlined that shifting staff into indefinite inactivity is inconsistent with fair employment obligations.
The judgment rejected the airline's defence that it had acted within its rights by not formally dismissing the workers in question. The court pointed out that withholding work altogether whilst refusing to acknowledge a formal redundancy creates unacceptable conditions for the affected staff.
The Nationalist Party responded swiftly to the judicial findings, declaring that the case exposed deep-seated hypocrisy within the Labour administration concerning employment standards. The Opposition maintained that a state-controlled company should serve as a model employer rather than resorting to precarious labour practices.
The dispute highlights broader public scrutiny over the legacy and winding-down process of the former flag carrier, whose operational transition and labour liabilities have triggered repeated political clashes in recent years.
The Nationalist Party has stepped up its criticism of the government following recent court scrutiny of Air Malta's employment arrangements, accusing the administration of hypocrisy over the treatment of former airline staff.
Opposition representatives stated that part-time personnel were betrayed by an administration that regularly claims to champion workers' rights, pointing to the financial uncertainty faced by employees placed on precarious zero-hours contracts.
The party called for accountability regarding the dismissal of affected workers, arguing that public authorities failed to provide the protections and stability that employees were entitled to expect.
The Spin Room
Low media divide. Both outlets reported the Opposition's statements consistently, with no material differences in framing.
Updates
- : Updated with further statements from the Nationalist Party, which accused the government of hypocrisy and betrayal regarding former Air Malta workers.