Hundreds of Air India Express employees could go on strike from January 15th over disagreements related to issuing of contracts. The low-cost subsidiary of soon-to-be-privatized Air India flies to many popular destinations in the Middle East, and a strike could affect flight operations on a large scale. The news comes when the carrier is in the final stages of being taken over by the Tatas and a possible merger with AirAsia India in the near future.
Unhappy with contracts
The cabin crew of Air India Express are threatening to go on an indefinite strike from January 15th if the management fails to give a satisfactory reply to their demands. The employees feel that the current practice of issuing contracts to different sets of employees is unfair and leaves some cabin crew at a loss.
A report by the New Indian Express quotes Vijaykumar KK, president of Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), as saying,
“The contract period for cabin crew was reduced to one year from five years. At the same time, the contracts of other staff and new recruits are for five years. We met the management nine times in the presence of the central labour commissioner to resolve the issue but we didn’t get any positive response.”
More than 500 cabin crew are members of the AIXEU, and any such strike is likely to affect flight operations immensely.
Management yet to respond
According to the Times of India, sources have confirmed that Air India Express’ CEO has received the notice. The employees are hoping for a favorable reply from the management; otherwise, a strike looks imminent.
The carrier’s employees have been protesting for some time now, citing unfair labor practices by the management. On December 14th, the crew under the AIXEU had organized a national-level protest raising their voice over alleged “gross injustice” by the airline’s management.
Apart from the contract issue, the employees want COVID-induced salary cuts to be revoked and a ground-staff job offer to one of the employees who got injured and is currently in a wheelchair. The AIXEU president says that the labor commission had ordered to offer a ground-staff position to the injured cabin crew member, but the management terminated his contract instead.
New owners soon
The employee protest at AI Express comes at a time when a change of ownership is just around the corner for the airline. While the carrier’s handover to the Tatas has been delayed slightly over some regulatory approvals, it is still very much on track.
The Tatas have been keeping a close eye on protesting employees of the Air India group and would want the airline to fix these issues before the official handover. Furthermore, with reports of a possible merger of AI Express with AirAsia India, the Tata Group would want to resolve any pending issues with employees for a relatively smooth transition.
Source: simpleflying.com