Ex-Alitalia flight attendants marched through Rome Wednesday, stripped of their uniforms to protest the airline's demise. As they gathered in Rome's Campidoglio piazza, the all-female cabin crew stripped to their camisoles.
Italia Trasporto Aereo replaced Alitalia on October 15. It was part of a deal that the Italian government made with the European Commission to pay off Alitalia's huge debts.
Trade unions did not reach an agreement with ITA in the days before Alitalia's demise.
Unions claim that ITA's few employees have seen their wages fall by more than 30%. ITA has taken on only 3,000 workers, Alitalias approximately 10,000-strong workforce.
The flight attendants were placed in an orderly fashion on the piazza. They removed their overcoats and revealed their Alitalia uniforms. The flight attendants then began to take off their overcoats until they stood still wearing only cream-coloured slips.
Flight attendants joined hands to chant "We are Alitalia" and ended their protest.
One of the protesters, an ex-flight attendant, said that we first came to express our grief. Solidarity to all of our colleagues who called Ita and were made to sign a humiliating, and even mortifying, company contract.
ITA purchased the rights to Alitalia's brand name for 90million. However, company bosses claim they only bought the brand to stop it falling into the hands a competitor. In the coming years, they hope to sell ITA on to a major investor. The Madrid-based IAG and Germany's Lufthansa could be contenders.
