Striking Flight Attendant tactics...

[Blastor]

Snack strike hits some Alitalia flights

Reuters
Saturday, January 8, 2005 - Page B6

Rome --

Passengers on some of Alitalia's European flights were left hungry yesterday as cabin crew refused to serve meals and drinks in a snack strike to protest new working conditions at the Italian carrier.

The novel industrial action is a pale shadow of the all-out strikes that brought the airline to a standstill on occasion last year, but it has infuriated the management, which is trying to drag the state-controlled company into profit.

The snack strike took place on domestic and European flights between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., while long-haul flights were unaffected, said a union representative.

The company hoped it had put an end to a lengthy and damaging period of industrial unrest last October when it finally agreed with unions a sweeping restructuring plan aimed at pulling Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane SpA back from the brink of bankruptcy. AZA (Milan) rose 0.5 euro cents (0.8 cents Canadian) to 26 euro cents.