Tata Group-owned Air India will be holding a town hall meeting in response to staff concerns on the proposed altered terms and conditions of service.
The revised compensation structure that the airline had decided upon for the pilots of Air India has been rejected. The major beef is that they will only receive 40 hours of flying time per month under the new arrangement, as opposed to 70 hours prior to the pandemic.
Air India to Address Employees’ Concerns in a Town Hall Meeting
All senior personnel, including the airline’s CEO Campbell Wilson, are anticipated to attend the town hall meeting for Air India, which is set for April 25 at 1600 IST. Aix Connect, another Tata airline, conducted a similar gathering on April 22.
After sending legal letters to Air India on April 21, the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) pilot unions met with the chairman of Tata Group Airlines just a few days later.
These warnings were sent out a few days after ICPA and IPG urged their members not to accept the modified job conditions.
The Air India pilots are at odds with the airline’s recently stated work conditions and compensation structure, and they have asked Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran to mediate. The airlines are attempting to allay the worries of the staff.
As per a senior official of the airline, “Air India has been in touch with its employees over any concerns surrounding the new work conditions and pay structure. We are addressing the concerns of our employees directly.”
Employees Dissatisfied Over Pay Structure
On April 24, the ICPA and the IPG adopted a joint resolution pledging their united commitment to safeguard any member of the unions who is or are terminated by management for refusing to sign the amended terms and conditions to “any extent” necessary until they are reinstated.
Officials from Air India claim to be confident in their ability to address any issues raised by their staff and to have signed new contracts with a number of them.
A representative for Air India stated that the new pay structure for pilots and cabin personnel was “our endeavour to bring in parity among different groups, encourage productivity, and boost emoluments.”
This is still a developing story, and we will keep you informed as we get any more updates.
