ALITALIA can only be described as a mess with all but a handful of flights operated last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to strikes that have paralysed the Italian flag carrier as it struggles to find a business plan to fend off complete collapse. Staff have rejected an agreement their unions had reached with management and the government over a company rescue plan which they fear will include thousands of job losses. Italy's Strike Commission has declared the wildcat action illegal and ordered the strikers back to work. More strikes are threatened for this week and the complete collapse of the airline cannot be ruled out. The carrier is 62% state-owned, has made an operating loss for the last five years, and cannot gain any more government money under the EU rules. To date Belgium's Sabena has been the only EU flag carrier to go under. The proposed Alitalia merger with France and KLM seems a long way off.
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