 "Air India express")
The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) has penned a letter to Air India's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran expressing concerns over escalating discontent among employees, NDTV reported. The latest move comes after several flights were cancelled during the day and Air India Express announcing that it doesn’t recognise any worker union.
The two-page correspondence, addressed to the chairman of Air India Limited under Tata Sons ownership (of which Air India Express is a subsidiary), highlights a surge in dissatisfaction among staff subsequent to the airline's acquisition by a private entity.
There is a "stark departure from commitments on job security, salary and maintenance, and respect for seniority and maintenance", AIXEU said in its letter, referring to the firing of "several employees with impeccable records" that it said was "contrary to assurances" made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that there will be “no termination for two years post acquisition” of the formerly government-run Air India.
Also Read
Additionally, the letter pointed out the suppression of dissenting voices by management, stifling employees' attempts to address grievances.
“...employees find themselves silenced when attempting to address grievances, with management actively suppressing any dissenting voices on company platforms,” NDTV cited the letter as saying.
Moreover, the union raised concerns about unequal treatment of employees, citing instances of qualifications and experience being overlooked in favour of external candidates for internal job postings.
"Furthermore, there is a glaring lack of equality in the treatment of employees. Salaries, experience, and merits are being disregarded, with internal job postings now being filed by candidates external to Air India Express, thereby bypassing qualified internal candidates," the letter allegedly said.
The AIXEU letter follows a widespread sick leave announced by Air India cabin crew earlier in the day, resulting in the cancellation of at least 86 flights. Reportedly, nearly 300 senior cabin crew members called in sick at the last minute and remained unreachable, protesting against new employment terms at the Tata Group-owned airline.
Both Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) are subsidiaries of the Tata Group-owned Air India, which is in the process of merging to create a unified low-cost airline.
