Air India may ask you to return your salary, benefits if you quit the job without doing this

Air India will clawback salary and benefits of those employees who leave the organization without completing their stipulated bond period, in order to recover the cost of training and other expenses, The Indian Express reported citing the company’s order. According to the report, the company has already warned Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) and aircraft maintenance engineers that if they try to leave Air India after completing the training without finishing the stipulated period, they are liable to refund the cost of training, travel allowances, hotel expenses as well as their salary.

The order also said that the amount will be recovered from the employee’s final settlement if he\she fails refund the amount. While Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation minister had earlier mentioned in Rajya Sabha that he has not heard of any resignation, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) had said that many pilots were paid less and were leaving Air India to join other carriers. In the letter dated December 23, ICPA had said, We are losing these experienced co-pilots to other carriers who value them and have understood their importance of their experience.”

The report further stated that ICPA in their letter has requested that they should be allowed to leave Air India without serving any notice period as the government has decided to not extend financial support. Debt-ridden Air India has been struggling to find buyers. The company will likely be stopping the operations if it failed to find any buyer. “A senior Air India official had on December 31, however, warned that the airline might have to shut down by June unless it finds a buyer as “piecemeal” arrangements cannot be sustained for long,” The Indian Express said. Meanwhile, the government has addressed that privatisation has to be done but also highlighted that the government could not be “slave to deadlines”.