TATA-Group-owned, Air India pilots’ union has alleged that working conditions are hostile at the airline and sought Tata group Chairman N Chandrasekaran’s intervention to resolve the issues.
The pilots have raised various concerns including unethical treatment, hostile working conditions, pay cuts, and many others. A letter addressing the same has been written to the Chairman.
The two pilot unions IPG and ICPA have claimed that despite its unflinching support extended to Air India in its growth and expansion plan, the management has not reciprocated in the same manner.
- Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) represents the pilots flying wide-body aircraft.
- Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) represents those operating narrow-body planes.
The unions said in a joint letter to N Chandrasekaran, “We wish to draw your attention to the unethical treatment vetted to the pilots at Air India that has left us completely demoralized.”
“(There are) hostile working conditions (and) pilots are intimidated to accept flights with total disregard to the Air India FDTL scheme due to shortage of pilots,” the letter added.
“Absence of fixed flying allowance leads up to an 80 per cent pay cut for pilots (who are) under training or license renewals by external agencies,” the letter said.
“For the last nine months, our member pilots have kept aside their concerns of health, fatigue, and work-life balance and flown well beyond their stipulated hours, only to be denied their rightful overtime payment and basic minimum payment guarantee that safeguards their monthly income while undergoing license renewals, visa, and airport pass processes, training, sickness,” they claimed in the letter.
“We have given the management every benefit of the doubt as well as ample time to redress our issues, but the duality of the management continues unabated… we urge you to intervene and put a stop to this victimisation. In this, you are our last and singular hope,” the unions said.
