Unions ask to protect the 1,300 jobs at Air Italy, which to be liquidated.

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Italy’s main trade unions on Monday called for the protection of more than 1,300 jobs at Air Italy, the former Meridiana airline, which will soon be liquidated due to its financial problems, due to the lack of interest from a potential buyer.

The unions held a meeting with Air Italy executives on Monday and they confirmed that they will not request another year’s extension of the “integration box” system, which in Italy is similar to the temporary lay-offs, EFE reported.

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Instead, they will continue in December with the collective layoff procedures until the liquidation, which was announced in 2020, is completed.

Sources from the country’s largest union, CGIL, explained to Efe that they consider this announcement unacceptable and are calling for the extension of this system of temporary unemployment with state aid throughout 2022, to give more leeway to possible interested parties in its purchase.

The Italian airline, 51% owned by Alisarda and 49% by Qatar Airways, announced in early 2020 that it approved its liquidation due to serious financial problems after accumulating losses of 360 million euros in the last two years.

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The announcement generated tensions with the Government and in fact the then Minister of Transport, Paola de Micheli, requested an urgent meeting and argued that “it is not acceptable” to liquidate a company without first informing and studying alternatives.

At the same time, last October 15, Italy Air Transport (ITA) was born, the new Italian airline after the bankruptcy of Alitalia, with the intention of being profitable in the first half of 2023.

Photo: Adam Moreira/Wikipedia

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