Air India unions reject 'abominable' compulsory leave without pay plan

National carrier has a debt of around Rs 70,000 cr and the government started the process to sell it to a private entity in January

The government should halt Air India's "abominable" compulsory leave without pay (LWP) offer as it is not voluntary and is "illegal", six employee unions of the airline wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday.

Air India, in an internal order on July 14, asked its departmental heads and regional directors to identify employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on LWP for up to five years.

Moreover, it said employees can voluntarily opt for the LWP scheme too.

"We are deeply ashamed to say that it seems that after praising