Air Malta part-time workers betrayed by a Government that boasts about workers’ rights

While Labour boasts that it abolished zero-hour contracts, Air Malta – which was a state-owned company – used zero working hours as an excuse to dismiss workers.

On 17 April, in an official statement which, ironically, dealt with workers’ rights, the Labour Government boasted that it had abolished what were known as zero-hour contracts. In the same statement, the Government declared that “dignity in the workplace is non-negotiable”.

Now, however, the Court of Appeal has confirmed that Air Malta left a number of part-time workers on zero hours – meaning that they were allocated no shifts and, in other words, were left in limbo – instead of informing them that their employment was being terminated. The Court declared that these workers had been unfairly dismissed.

There is a world of difference between words and actions.

The Labour Government must now explain how the treatment of these part-time workers at what was Malta’s national airline amounted to safeguarding their dignity, as it claimed only a few months ago.

The contradiction in which these workers found themselves dates back to 2022. In October of that year, the Labour Party announced measures which included the transposition of the European Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions and, subject to certain exceptions, the prohibition of what are known as zero-hour contracts.

In November of the same year, Air Malta workers who had regularly been assigned work were suddenly given no hours. Their access to systems was withdrawn and they were asked to return their airport passes. Nevertheless, Air Malta maintained that it had not dismissed them because their contracts allowed it to allocate them zero hours. Air Malta continued to defend this argument right through the appeal, but the Court has now rejected it.

This is the political hypocrisy for which the Government must be held to account. It portrays itself as the champion of workers’ rights, yet a state-owned company under its responsibility sought to justify its treatment of these workers by relying on the very type of contracts the Government boasts of having abolished.

The fact that the law provides for certain exceptions does not alter what the Court has confirmed: these workers were unfairly dismissed. Nor does the decision to retain the conditions of the retirement scheme erase that fact.

In this case, workers who had given years of service were forced to fight simply to have it recognised that they had been dismissed. This treatment makes a mockery of everything Labour preaches about respect for workers.

The Partit Nazzjonalista calls on the Government to shoulder political responsibility, publicly explain who decided on and approved this treatment, and ensure that these workers receive what is due to them. It must also put in place concrete measures to ensure that other workers in state entities are not subjected to the same experience.

Anyone who boasts of defending workers should start by accounting for how workers were treated under their responsibility. Workers deserve justice, respect and a government that keeps its word to them.

Adrian Delia
Shadow Minister for Finance

Ivan Castillo
Shadow Minister for Sustainable Mobility

Julian Borg
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Employment

Annabelle Cilia
Spokesperson for Employment

John Baptist Camilleri
Spokesperson for Aviation

25.09.2026