MIA signs new employee collective agreement

Malta International Airport has signed a new collective agreement with the General Workers Union and UĦM Voice of the Workers, the two unions representing around 76 per cent of the company’s growing workforce.

Covering the five-year period between 2023 and 2027, the newly signed agreement has bolstered the company’s existing employee package with added benefits, the airport said in a statement on Friday.

Malta International Airport was represented by the company’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Borg, Chief Financial Officer Karl Dandler and Tina Lombardi, who heads the Human Resources department. Ms Lombardi described the agreement as one that provides for a holistic package which, on the one hand, is attuned to employee feedback and present-day challenges and, on the other, seeks to safeguard the interests of the company.

“We are pleased that, through this agreement, we are offering our people financial stability for the next five years at a time when uncertainty still looms large. We are confident that the package we have negotiated, which balances monetary and non-monetary benefits, will help us retain valuable institutional knowledge and attract top talent as our team gears up for an exciting future,” said Tina Lombardi, whilst thanking all the parties involved in the negotiations.

Excluding any cost-of-living adjustments, employees will benefit from annual increments to the basic salary amounting to 9.06 per cent by 2027. Additionally, the agreement provides for a revised retirement benefit for each year of service with Malta International Airport in appreciation of employee loyalty.

The agreement has also introduced a fourth bonus that is attached to the company’s environmental sustainability performance, in a bid to encourage employees to contribute to Malta International Airport’s efforts to run a more sustainable operation.  

New special leave categories, including carers’ leave and pet bereavement leave, have been introduced with the aim of helping employees cope with situations that bring added pressures or emotional distress.

An additional two days of paternity leave have also been added to the 10 days stipulated by the Maltese law, while maternity leave continues to be offered in line with the local legislation.