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(CNN) -
Italy's new national airline, ITA Airways, took to the skies last week but all is not well on the ground.
Former Alitalia flight attendants protested this week against job losses and pay cuts by taking off their clothes.
At the Campidoglio - the center of power in Rome for some 2,000 years and whose main square was redesigned by Michelangelo - approximately 50 former flight attendants in their Alitalia uniforms appeared, then took them off, put their underwear on and shouted " We are Alitalia. "
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It was an event to protest not only against the loss of their jobs, but also against the contracts awarded to those who have been hired by ITA Airways.
Union complaints: pay cuts, loss of seniority
Unions say that people who have stayed are paid less.
An ITA Airways flight attendant told CNN that in addition to accepting a pay cut, they have lost seniority and are no longer told well in advance where and when they will work.
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ITA president Alfredo Altavilla has previously called the strike threats "a national disgrace."
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He says the airline staff agreed with the current working conditions and has reportedly compared his complaints to those of a driver looking in the rearview mirror.
"The negotiation of the contracts is more than finished. Everyone is on board and they have signed the contract that we sent them," Altavilla told Il Fatto Quotidiano earlier this month.
Little has changed for the passengers
Of Alitalia's 10,500 employees, only 2,800 have been employed by ITA.
The new airline has retained 52 of Alitalia's 110 aircraft, according to Reuters.
However, it has announced plans to launch an entirely new Airbus fleet, as well as stylish new décor and products made in Italy, from crew uniforms to lounge furniture.
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However, for passengers traveling right now, little has changed.
ITA's new livery - in sky blue to represent Italy's national sports teams - will be rolled out gradually, starting in the coming months, Altavilla announced last week.
And the new uniforms, facilities and accessories are a work in progress, with the airline holding secret talks with major brands, he said.
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