ITALY: Angry Alitalia pilots and flight attendants demonstrate outside Labour ministry

Record ID: 716068

  • Title: ITALY: Angry Alitalia pilots and flight attendants demonstrate outside Labour ministry
  • Date: 16th September 2008
  • Summary: (EU) ROME, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 15, 2008) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF LABOUR MINISTRY WITH POLICE BY FRONT DOOR GROUPS OF PILOTS TALKING OUTSIDE PROTESTERS PLACING CARTOON OF ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI WEARING PILOT'S WINGS OF ALITALIA, ON LAMP POST VARIOUS OF CARTOON (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION AVIA REPRESENTATIVE, ANTONIO DIVIETRI, SAYING: "I am spe
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVA1AACPG096RY2K0ENIAZCXZSRM
  • Story Text: Alitalia pilots and flight attendants angered after they have been left out of talks to save the national airline are gathering outside the Labour ministry in Rome to voice their concern over the situation.
    A growing group of angry Alitalia pilots and flight attendants gathered outside the Labour ministry in Rome on Monday (September 15) afternoon, concerned they have been left out of talks happening inside that are trying to save the collapse of the national airline.
    Demonstrators attached a large cartoon picture of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, wearing Alitalia pilot's wings on his shoulders, to a lamp post outside the ministry.
    Italy's four main unions - CGIL, CISL, UIL and UGL - and a consortium offering to buy Alitalia, agreed to the rough outline of a rescue plan that would cut about 3,000 jobs but leave 12,500 workers at the slimmed-down airline.
    But unions representing pilots and flight attendants have so far been left out of talks.

    "I am speaking about 3, 300 flight attendants who will be employed by this new company," said an angry leader of the flight attendants union AVIA, Antonio Divietri outside the ministry.

    "I don't know how they will work, where they will work and on which planes, which routes. This situation has caused 3,300 people to go out of their minds," Divietri said.
    A flight attendant stood with a noose around her neck as a symbol of how the workers feel they are being steamrollered into an agreement with the new company CAI, hoping to take over the running of Alitalia.

    "Work and dignity," chanted the growing group of employees outside the ministry, as the talks continued without them.
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