No Alitalia talks today - union (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, February 22 - The head of the FILT CGIL air transport union, Nino Cortorillo, on Tuesday denied there would be talks with Confindustria air chapter Assaereo on Alitalia contract renewals today and confirmed a strike involving Alitalia, airport and handling companies, as well as foreign airline ground staff from 14:00 to 18:00 tomorrow. "We want contract talks without ultimatums or blackmail," he said amid management suggestions that job cuts would be worsened by industrial action. Industry Minister Carlo Calenda called for the resumption of union-management talks, saying "the most important thing is that there is a return to a more harmonious way of working between the management and unions, and above all talks". Alitalia is set to present a business plan expected to contain up to 2,000 jobs cuts at the start of next month after posting a 500-million-euro loss in 2016.