Divestment: Air India official seeks employees’ contribution, unions ask them to stay away

A director at disinvestment-bound Air India has approached nearly 20,000 of the airline’s employees seeking contribution of Rs 1 lakh each to participate in the bidding process.

However, some employee unions of the loss-making national carrier have already thwarted the plan by asking their members not to participate or acknowledge the process.

Meenakshi Mallik, Air India’s commercial director, last week wrote a letter to the employees with a plan to acquire 51 per cent stake in the airline. For the remaining 49 per cent stake, Mallik wrote, that the team would look for a financial partner. Multiple attempts to reach Mallik were unsuccessful.