Alitalia flight attendants sign rescue plan

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Plans to revive Italy's ailing national airline took a significant step forward Monday, when a union of flight attendants signed a deal meant to keep the airplanes flying.
With the signature of a union representing 80 percent of Alitalia flight attendants, the Italian government has now obtained agreement from unions that represent the entire Alitalia workforce.
Trade unions said they signed the deal but there is nothing to celebrate, since one in three flight attendants will lose their jobs. Last week, the trade union representing the pilots also agreed to the plan, which calls for the layoff of 1,000 pilots.
For weeks, pilots and flight attendants resisted a plan put forward by a group of Italian private investors who pledged 1 billion euros to rescue the airline.
The plan put forward by the investors, representing a consortium called CAI (Italian Air Company) envisaged the reduction of the workforce by roughly a third.After weeks of negotiations, trade unions managed to obtain some concessions, including fewer layoffs and keeping salaries level. They also received a promise that an international partner will be allowed to buy a minority stake in Alitalia.
Among the airlines interested in a partnership with Alitalia are Air-France, KLM, and Lufthansa, but the airline will remain in Italian hands for at least five years.
"Today Alitalia is a good business, so I hope that they are looking at this new scenario that is really different," said Fabio Berti, a pilots union leader.
Alitalia faced an imminent shutdown if the unions failed to endorse the deal