Former Alitalia flight attendants protested this week against job losses and pay cuts in a particularly Italian way — by taking their clothes off.
Union complaints: Pay cuts, loss of seniority
Trade unions say that those who have stayed are being paid less.
ITA President Alfredo Altavilla has called previously called threats of strike action “a thing of national shame.”
He says that airline staff agreed to the current working conditions and has reportedly compared their complaints to a driver looking in the rear view mirror.
This is the new ITA Airways livery.
Handout/ITA Airways
Little has changed for passengers
Of Alitalia’s 10,500 staff, only 2,800 have been employed by ITA.
The new airline has retained 52 of Alitalia’s 110 planes, according to Reuters. However, it has announced plans for an entirely new fleet of Airbuses, as well as a chic new livery and Italian-made products from the crew uniforms to the lounge furniture.
For passengers traveling right now, however, little has changed. The new ITA livery — sky blue, to represent Italy’s national sports teams — will be phased in gradually, starting within the next few months, Altavilla announced last week.
And the new uniforms, fixtures and fittings are a work in progress, with the airline in top secret talks with major brands, he said.
Top image: Former Alitalia’s flight attendants stage a protest in Rome in this image taken from a video. (Federico Mariani/USB video via AP)