Air India pilots ask: '3.5% salary cut for bosses and 60% for us, how is this justified?'

In a letter to Air India chairman and managing director Rajiv Bansal, the pilots has expressed unwillingness to take the proposed pay cut. Describing the pay cut as 'hilarious', the Air India pilots wrote, "The proposed cut for the pilots is almost 60% of gross emoluments... the top management has proposed a meager 3.5% cut on its own gross salary."

"For e.g. the Director Personnel takes a minuscule cut of 4% on gross pay while a Co-pilot, who is paid less than the market, is given a cut of 60%. How is this justified? Doesn't this amount to unchecked greed and selfishness?" the Air India pilots said in their letter to the Rajiv Bansal.

The salary cut has been proposed at a a time when they have not received 70% of their salaries since April this year, the pilots wrote.

Till now, at least 55 pilots have been tested for coronavirus infection."Is it fair to penalise these pilots by saying that they will be paid on actual flying hours? They are unable to fly as they contracted the coronavirus while on duty. Is this how the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) wants to honour frontline workers?" the letter asked.

The pilots have also sought time with aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri to discuss the proposed pay cut. Air India pilots said they would also return all the appreciation certificates by Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the airlines implement the pay cut.

"You had briefed us that the MoCA has given you directions to slash pilots' salary by 60%. This is nowhere at par with market standards. If this is true, then we would like to humbly submit that we would like to seek an appointment with the Minister of Civil Aviation and return all the appreciation letters given to our pilots by him as well as the Hon'ble Prime Minister for our service to the nation," the Air India pilots said in their letter.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to serve the nation in this time of need as always," the pilots said."To discuss a retrospective pay cut on the work done is unfair and humiliating to an employee who has been loyal to the company and the Nation," the letter added.

On Wednesday, Air India approved a scheme for sending employees on leave without pay (LWP) for a time period ranging from six months to two years which can be extended up to five years.

To determine the employee who would be sent on leave, factors such as suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health, instances of non-availability of the employees for duty in the past as a result of ill-health or otherwise and redundancy will be taken into account. The carrier asked departmental heads at headquarters and regional directors to assess each individual on the above factors and identify the cases in which the policy can be exercised, according to a report in ANI

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vistara Domestic Premium Economy vs. Economy – Is The Upgrade Worth It?

Economy on Vistara As one of only two  full-service carriers  in India, Vistara offers a high-quality economy product. On its A320, which used on most domestic routes, it offers 18-inch wide seats with a pitch of 29-30 inches. While this does sound standard, the well-padded seats and adjustable headrest make for a much more comfortable offering than its low-cost competitors. The seats also offer an acceptable 3″ recline. In terms of service, Vistara is one of the few airlines offering hot meals on domestic routes (minus short routes under an hour). All economy passengers, except those booked on Economy Lite fares, receive a meal along with hot or cold beverages. From personal experience, the meals are good and enough for domestic hops. For those traveling on Lite fares, only complimentary hot beverages are available. Vistara also has a small buy-on-board menu, which features packaged snacks and drinks, along with some hot instant meals. Originally, the airline served all passenger’s me
Read more

Why the Airbus A340 Has A Middle Landing Gear

Image
The  Airbus A340  was specially designed for long haul flying and had something not seen with other widebody aircraft flying today. It was a unique middle landing gear that allowed the plane to take off with heavier loads and carry more fuel for its four hungry engines. What is the middle landing gear? If you have ever looked carefully at a picture of an A340 (or if you are lucky, in real life), you might have noticed an extra landing gear on the belly in the middle of the plane. Here it is on a Virgin Atlantic  Airbus A340-600  to the rear of the aircraft. Looking at the bottom of an A340 you’ll see that there are already two other sets of landing gears under the wings, why would an aircraft need a third in the middle? Why some A340s have the middle landing gear Plain and simple, the extra landing gear allows the A340 aircraft to have a higher MTOW (maximum take-off weight). This means more passengers and cargo, plus more fuel to go a longer distance. Perfect for t
Read more

Preparing To Start Domestic Flight Operations Within A Week: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri

The domestic flight operations are likely to resume within a week, says Union Civil Aviation Minister  Hardeep Singh Puri . The commercial flight operations remain suspended since March 24 after the announcement of nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. In an interview with  Outlook ’s  Preetha Nair , the Union Minister also talks about the government’s massive plan to evacuate stranded Indians and the logistical challenges involved. He also says a decision on operating flights between green zones of the country will soon be taken. You have hinted that the commercial flight operations are set to begin after May 15 in a calibrated way. Can you elaborate? We are preparing to start domestic flight operations even before May 15. My effort will be to try and move in the direction of starting it very soon. I can’t put a date on it because when you are planning evacuation operations, you need the co-operation of the state governments. In order to open up domestic civil avia
Read more