Air India is considering steps to bring down the number of recognised unions in the airline.
More than 1,600 employees of Air India, the former state-run carrier now owned by the Tata group, have opted for voluntary retirement under a scheme announced on June 1. These employees comprise 22 per cent of permanent staff (around 7,000). The airline has a total employee strength of around 10,800, including those on contract.
Around 300 employees, carrying red flags, assembled in front of the old terminal in Delhi, shouting slogans against the management and demanding immediate payment of salaries. "The government cannot defer the salary as per the Payment of Wages Act. It must pay the salary by July 10. The company is not following the rules and regulations and taking decisions which is not in the interest of the employees," J B Kadiyan, general secretary, ACEU, said.
Warning the employees of 'firm' action if flights were disrupted and passengers inconvenienced, the staff notice issued by Air India said the agitation by the Joint Action Forum would violate the Industrial Disputes Act and was 'tantamount to illegal strike. All employees are aware that the company is going through a critical financial situation and, at this stage, any disruption to flights will adversely affect the image of the company.'
Some airports in the country could face disruption in movement of flights due to the strike.
Continuing with their agitation, Air India employees on Friday staged a sit-in at the New Delhi airport to protest the decision of the airline management to defer payment of their salaries by a fortnight.
Air India's website, which went down two days ago after the airline offered a special fare of Rs 100, was apparently blocked by a few sites in India and abroad for a considerable time.
Als0 looking to make its staff accountable for delay in operations
The national carrier currently has 15 recognised trade unions.
The national carrier has drawn a blueprint to cut the number of recognised unions in the airline from 15 to two -- one for pilots and another for the rest of the employees.
Air India is in a better state now than it was when Lohani's predecessor took over in 2011, four years after a merger with state-run carrier Indian Airlines.
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