After 74 years of flight history, the Alitalia airline closed on October 14 after its last flight. The company has been affected by multiple economic crises in recent years, the blockade being the biggest blow, which has forced them to make the decision to withdraw. However, several of its planes and employees are acquired by a new airline, ITA.
However, ITA has hired less than 3,000 people for its company, 70% of them from Alitalia, employing 10,000 people.
The protest involved 50 former Alitalia flight attendants, protesting to improve unemployment benefits.
The protest took place atop the Capitoline Hill in central Rome. ABC News went on to report that it has not been easy for those who were lucky enough to be hosted by ITA, as their salary was considerably lower compared to their previous salary.
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The flight attendants arrived fully dressed as they would on work days, with their coat and bags.
The women put down their bags in a synchronized motion, then proceeded to remove the garments one by one.
Unemployed women stripped down to their underwear, stripped off their heels and headbands before exclaiming, “We are Alitalia!”
ITA, the new airline, claims that its smaller size is everything to compete with low-cost airlines by providing better service at a lower cost.
The president of ITA, Alfredo Altavilla, said: “ITA Airways is being born with the right size, in the optimal dimensions both in terms of the size of its fleet and its destinations.”
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“We do not carry with us the negative heritage of being too big that conflicts with economic reality.”
The Union has demanded that the government extend unemployment benefits for up to five years.
