Alitalia pilots, stewards to strike Monday

(ANSA) - Rome, May 22 - Alitalia pilots and stewards will strike in most of Italy next week over layoff concerns, their professional association Anpac confirmed Friday.
    Monday's strike will not include the airports of Bari, Brinidisi and Genoa.
    Anpac said Alitalia management has not given "adequate guarantees that employment levels" will be maintained after expiration in February of 'solidarity' contracts with Alitalia's CityLiner domestic service.
    Those involve a type of unemployment insurance.
    Other carriers, including Blue Air of Romania, are leasing Alitalia aircraft for their operations, crowding out Alitalia staff, said the union.
    "We will not accept compromises or ambiguous choices that could generate more employment problems," said Anpac. As well, consumers may be purchasing flights they expect will be provided by Alitalia but instead are going to third parties, said Anpac.
    It referred to Alitalia's past relationship with Romanian carrier Carpatair and a subsequent lawsuit from consumers who claimed they felt deceived when their bookings turned out to be with the smaller regional airline.
    Prosecutors have been investigating a complaint from one such customer after an accident in February 2013 involving a Carpatair flight from Pisa to Rome that slid off the runway at Fiumicino airport.
    Several people were injured, including two seriously, in the crash.