• Thursday, March 28, 2024

Business

Air India pilots give 3-day ultimatum to meet their demands

An Air India plane (ANI Photo)

By: Shubham Ghosh

PILOTS of Air India have given a three-day ultimatum to the management of the carrier to meet their demands related to pay cut and other issues and said if their grievance is not addressed within the deadline, they will resort to industrial action for justice.

On Monday (29) evening, the pilots sent a letter to India’s aviation secretary and the chairman and managing director of Air India issuing their ultimatum, Indian daily Hindustan Times reported.

The letter was written by the airlines’ Airbus’ union – Indian Commercial Pilots’ Guild (ICPA) and Boeing pilots’ union – Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) which represent more than 900 pilots.

The letter read, “International passenger services to/from India started from December 15th, 2021, and all airlines are rolling back the COVID cut, if we do not see the issues related to an illegal pay cut of 55% and the plethora of longstanding disinvestment issues addressed within three days we will have no choice but to seek justice through industrial action.”

The pilots have been writing to the airline since October, the month the Tata Group won the bid for Air India, but they haven’t got any response on the matter, the daily added.

They had complained in their previous letters that they have been suffering because of an “illegal pay cut” of 55 per cent and demanded a payment to be paid as per the market standards.

Among other demands of the pilots are: grant of withheld 25 per cent arrears with interest, statement of gratuity, an option of leave encashment, medical benefits for all permanent employees, release of pending grades to first officers, among others.

“Tatas have to fully take over the company and start flying by January 22, 2022, and here we have no communication on our pending dues. Media reports suggest that the airline’s closing date will be just next month. How much more are we expected to sit quietly?” a pilot told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity.

Another pilot said, “We are thrilled that Tatas will soon begin to operate the airline but the current management seems to be turning a deaf ear to us. This is a great matter of concern to us and hence we seek an urgent response.”

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