Alitalia flight attendants to participate in mini-strike

Alitalia flight attendants have decided to show their displeasure with the recent direction that the flag carrier and Italian government officials have taken by organizing a symbolic one minute-long strike. Industry experts believe that this may set a precedent in Italy, as there has not been a minute long strike in recent memory.

The very brief walk-out will occur on September 6^th, and all Alitalia flight attendants will actually stop working for a single minute, as a form of protest. By choosing this approach, rather than a longer strike, unions and affiliated employees are clearly showing that they are mindful of Alitalia’s highly precarious position, as it hovers nears the edge of bankruptcy and remains airborne only thanks to a controversial 300 million euro emergency loan from the Italian government. Italy has still not confirmed a serious buyer for the government’s stake in the carrier and questions linger about the company’s future.

A union representing flight attendants is hopeful that the Italian government will finally offer a clear explanation as to how it intends to restructure the airline in the near future. These plans will likely involve some redundancies, but precise figures have not yet been given. Union representatives, however, warned that if Alitalia executives do not give detailed and candid answers to their questions, they will “not hesitate to make [their] voice heard.” Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s centre-right prime minister, indicated that one option for Alitalia would be to actually divide the company into two components and sell one of them to Air One, an Italian airline. Berlusconi believes that this alternative would mean far fewer lay-offs.

Thank you to United Press International (UPI) for the initial report.

www.alitalia.com