Following a meeting at the Aviation Ministry, on Thursday, 23 July, Air India took to Twitter to share that the “recent decisions of Air India Board regarding the rationalisation of staff cost were reviewed” and that there will be no cut in basic pay of the employees. Air India also stated that no Air India employee will be “laid off”
“The meeting reiterated that unlike other carriers which have laid off large number of their employees, no employee of AirIndia will be laid off.”Air India
Before talking about the need for "rationalisation" of allowances, AIR India also confirmed that there will be no reduction in the Basic pay, DA and HRA of any employee.
“There has been no reduction in the Basic pay, DA and HRA of any category of employees. The rationalisation of allowances had to be implemented on account of the difficult financial condition of the airline that were exacerbated by COVID-19.”Air India
Flying crew will be paid on the basis of the number of hours actually flown by them, informed Air India.
“Flying crew will be paid as per the actual number of hours flown. As domestic and international operations expand to reach pre-COVID levels and the financial position of Air India improves, the rationalisation of allowances will be reviewed.”Air India
Following governments decision to reduce the salary of pilots by up to 75%, senior most pilots of Air India wrote a letter to civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri saying that the decision could trigger ‘desperate and extreme acts’.
According to NDTV, the pilots, in their letter alleged that the government decision is "discriminatory, disproportionate and arbitrary and could have a disastrous psychological impact which could trigger 'desperate and extreme acts,' as has been repeatedly proven many times in the past."
They also reportedly pointed out, in the letter, that around 60 pilots operating repatriation flights for Indians stranded abroad had tested COVID-19 positive. The pilots said that the mission had come “with a heavy price to pay for those on the frontline.”
According to NDTV, Air India is suffering from a debt of around Rs 70,000 crore. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri had previously, according to NDTV, attempted to justify Air India’s decision to send some employees on leave without pay for upto five years.
“You have to decide if you want Air India to survive or do you want to do this. If Air India is to pack up, none of them will get a job. Today, there is a surplus of aircraft and trained people available.”
(With inputs from NDTV.)
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